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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28368762">Demon with the Painted Face</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wolf_Sachi/pseuds/Wolf_Sachi'>Wolf_Sachi</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Avatar: The Last Airbender, The Rise of Kyoshi, The Shadow of Kyoshi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - No Bending (Avatar TV), Alternate Universe - Spirits, Canon Lesbian Relationship, F/F, Inspired by Princess Mononoke, Japanese Culture, My First Fanfic, Rangi uses a Katana!, Rangshi endgame, Slow Burn</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-05-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 23:15:09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>52,911</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28368762</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wolf_Sachi/pseuds/Wolf_Sachi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Rangi never expected to receive a letter from Hei-Ran, especially as they hadn’t spoken for almost four years after a bitter disagreement. Its contents even more surprising as it called her to Yokoya, the small mining town in the middle of nowhere which her mother governs. Honour bound to answer it’s summons, she leaves her position as First Lieutenant in the Fire Nation in order to do so. What she finds is a place surrounded by trees and mountains, full of interesting characters. However she never expected to find herself entwined with the legend of an otherworldly forest and the guardian spirit that protects it.</p><p>A guardian that the locals say is as tall as a mountain and wears a face of red and white!</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kyoshi/Rangi (Avatar)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>122</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>156</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. The Tale of the Heavenly Stone</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Long ago in a time when man and spirits walked the same path, a jade stone fell from the heavens. It landed in a desolate wasteland and the impact formed a wide crater around it. Many came to look upon the strange green stone but seeing nothing of note, they simply left it where it had fallen. However, over time a change came to the wastelands. Trees and plants grew from the once barren soil, rain fell where it never had before and filled the crater with water. Where before there was only death, now there was life. Soon, a vast and beautiful forest had sprouted around the stone. As man and spirits alike gazed in wonder at what the stone had done, they realised what it truly was. What had fallen was in fact a droplet from the river of heaven frozen into jade.</p>
<p>Whilst no-one knew what had caused it to fall, there was no denying its divine power. As tales of the heavenly stone spread, other humans came seeking it for their own dark purposes. For although it gave life, it could take it away just as easily. Many battles ensued between those who wanted to take it and those seeking to protect it. In one last desperate attempt to protect the piece of heaven, the greatest of noble human sages and powerful spirits joined together. Using their ancient magic, they grew a great colossal tree around it, encasing the stone inside. The bark of the tree was enchanted so that only something deemed so impossible that it could not exist could penetrate it.</p>
<p>Countless people tried to cut down the tree, but it held strong for nothing could breach the stone’s impenetrable cage. Before long, all those who sought the stone abandoned it and the drop of heavenly water faded from memory into legend. Only the spirits who lived within the great forest remembered it and swore to protect it. As the centuries passed, man and spirits began to live separate lives, one within their cities of stone and the other hiding within the deepest parts of nature. Nevertheless a small piece of heaven remains, waiting for the impossible to claim it.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Greetings at the Gate</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Rangi arrives at Yokoya where she is greeted by some unfamiliar faces and a very familiar one!</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The gravel of the dirt road crunched beneath Rangi’s heavy boots. She adjusted her pack and katana that sat upon her back for what felt like the hundredth time. Which was roughly the same amount of times she had cursed the town of Yokoya for being so far away from almost anywhere else. The road had weaved its way through craggy hills like a serpent, making what should have been an easy journey into something twice as long. Had Rangi known that before setting off, she would have happily given the cart driver the extra coins instead of opting to save them by walking. If there were something positive to be taken from her journey, it was that it gave her plenty of time to think over the very reason she was here in the first place.</p><p>She had been very surprised to receive a letter from her mother requesting her assistance in the town she currently governed. Although Rangi would rather have ignored it completely, her unbreakable honour would not let her turn down a request from a family member who needed her. She had left her position as the youngest First Lieutenant in the Fire Nation army to head to a backwater town in the middle of nowhere. Even if it was only temporary, she hated leaving the job she loved even if the recent civil war had soured it somewhat. Her mother’s message had been very vague, lacking any details or reason for her sudden contact. They hadn’t spoken in over four years and Rangi’s mind drifted back to the last conversation they had. Unkind things had been said on both sides and the memory of it still left her feeling bitter. However she quickly shook her head in an attempt to drive away those thoughts away. Instead she tried to focus on the future and not the past.</p><p>She looked up to see the sun was already hanging low in the sky. Rangi just hoped that she would reach Yokoya before nightfall. She didn’t want to think about how treacherous the road would be at night, seeing as it was no easy walk even in the daylight. As if conjured by her thoughts, the very same town she had been thinking about slowly came into view as she rounded the final bend in the road. It sat nestled between the foot of some rocky peaks and a vast forest that stretched out as far as the eye could see. The place appeared rather well-defended or at least as far as Rangi could tell from a distance. A high wall made from stripped tree trunks encircled the settlement, a simple method of defence but an effective one. Nevertheless it did prevent Rangi seeing what Yokoya looked like on the inside. All she could make out were the tops of some tall straw roofs. It appeared on nearly all fronts to be a typical mining town. </p><p>Just ahead of her she could see two small figures stood in front of a huge wooden gate leading into town. One of them was wearing mainly red and the other one mainly blue. Whilst the one dressed in blue was a mystery to her, the one in red was painfully familiar. Even from a distance she could recognise the form of Hei-Ran, her mother. She raised her hand in greeting and acknowledgement of her presence but made no effort to speed up. In response she saw her mother also raise her hand but remained standing where she was, clearly making no attempt to come meet her. It was painfully obvious to Rangi that time had not cleared the awkwardness that lingered between them.</p><p>Walking the last stretch felt like it took an eternity and yet for Rangi it was over too soon. Standing in front of her mother after so long stirred within her a sea of emotion. Nevertheless she fought hard not to let it show. After all she was here to complete a job and nothing more. Up close she saw that the years had begun to show on her mother’s features. Her flowing black hair held a few small flecks of grey. Her face showed extra lines around her eyes that hadn’t been there before. Yet she still stood as tall and proud as ever.</p><p>“Welcome Rangi, I’m glad you decided to come.” Hei-Ran said, her sharp voice cutting through the silence. Whilst her face remained hard, Rangi noticed her eyes soften as she spoke. It surprised her slightly but Rangi remained firm, weakness was not something to be felt or shown.</p><p>“It was my honour to come.” Rangi replied with a stern face and slight bow of her head. Despite her misgivings, respects still needed to be paid. However her words were more of a statement of fact than a compliment. The sound of a snorting laugh caught Rangi off guard, causing her to jump slightly in surprise. It had come from the short woman that stood next to her mother. She had been so wrapped up in seeing Hei-Ran again that she was ashamed to admit she had completely ignored her. She was a short and plump middle-aged woman. Her dark brown hair was tied back in two small plaits. The tanned tone of her skin gave away her Water Tribe heritage.</p><p>“You can tell that you two are mother and daughter. You both have the same iron rod up your backsides!” She said with a huge smug grin plastered around her face. She emphasised her words by pointing her finger between the two women. Rangi felt her cheeks redden with embarrassment at the woman’s words. She did however take comfort in seeing the same thing happening to her mother. Hei-Ran pinched the bridge of her nose and let out a frustrated groan before gesturing towards the woman.</p><p>“Forgive me Rangi, this is Atuat. She is the town’s resident healer who for some unknown reason insisted on coming.” The last of Hei-Ran’s words were said through gritted teeth. However Atuat just shrugged at the comment, either unfazed by it or simply ignoring it. </p><p>“What can I say? I was curious to meet the daughter of our very own Fire Lady.” She replied with a smirk as her eyes drifted over to Rangi, looking her up and down. Rangi felt like she was back at the Fire Academy’s morning inspections again, only somehow this was much worse. “Well, it seems that good looks run in the family.” Atuat said giving Rangi a wink, causing her already warm cheeks to grow even hotter. The woman took a bold step closer to Rangi and without warning reached out, giving her upper arm a firm squeeze. The sudden contact caused Rangi to flinch and take a couple of hasty steps back away from her. However her obvious discomfort seemed to only bring Atuat joy as she rolled her head back and laughed. “Strong too I see! A fine solider to add to our settlement.” She proclaimed and looked as if she was about to continue speaking. Luckily, Hei-Ran interrupted Atuat by placing her hand on her shoulder. </p><p>“Please Atuat, stop tormenting the poor child.” She said, but hearing her mother refer to her as a child caused Rangi’s blood to boil. </p><p>“I am not a child, I haven’t been for a long time!” She snapped at her, her hands instinctively curling into tight fists. Hei-Ran quickly turned to Rangi and bowed her head. For a brief moment, Rangi thought she saw a flash of sadness across her mother’s face. However no sooner was it there, it was gone. Maybe little more than a trick of the light.</p><p>“My apologies Rangi, I meant no offence.” Hei-Ran replied, quickly changing the subject. “You must be tired from your journey, let me show you to your quarters.” She said, her formal tone firmly back in place. She swiftly turned round and headed towards the large wooden gate leading into town. Atuat gestured to Rangi to follow, implying that she was happy to stay at the back. Taking the hint, Rangi fell in behind her mother. They didn’t travel far before they came up to the gate. “Open the gate, we have returned!” She shouted out, an order to whomever was on the other side. Rangi was instead surprised to hear a loud disgruntled moan in response.</p><p>“You know you didn’t have to shut it in the first place, right? You were only popping out for like five minutes.” A distinctly female voice yelled back, sounding very unimpressed. Hei-Ran let out an annoyed groan and once again pinched the bridge of her nose. A gesture that Rangi was quickly learning was a new habit that her mother had picked up to show her irritation.</p><p>“By the spirits Kirima, just open it!” Hei-Ran snapped back in an authoritative tone, a hint of the old commanding officer showing through. Another moan sounded behind the defences.</p><p>“Alright fine, keep your topknot on! Just give me a second!” The voice called back and not a moment later, the sound of rattling chains and creaking timber filled the air. The wooden gate was slowly pulled inwards by whatever mechanism operated it. However no sooner had it started moving, it suddenly stopped. It came to a halt with a gap only just wide enough for a person to squeeze between. Rangi heard her mother let out another signature groan before stepping through the opening, having to twist her body slightly in order to fit. Rangi followed suit, a task made more difficult by having all of her gear on her back. But with a grunt and a struggle, she also managed to step through. On the other side, she found Hei-Ran glaring at a young woman casually leaning on the gate’s winch wheel. Her long brown hair was tied into a thin plait that flowed down her back. Just like Atuat, her tanned skin hinted at her Water Tribe origins. She was very lithe, even whilst standing there nonchalantly, and she had a sense of grace about her. At her side were strapped two wicked-looking long knives, the perfect weapon for an agile warrior. The most striking feature about her was her eyes. There were a piercing sapphire-blue and to Rangi it felt like staring into the eyes of a wolf. </p><p> “What? It’s heavy!” She said with an indifferent shrug and slight smile on her face, completely unfazed by her mother’s deadly stare. She clearly knew what she had done and she clearly didn’t care.</p><p>“Where are the others?” Hei-Ran asked, her tone clearly showing how thin her patience was wearing. Unfortunately, in response the woman just shrugged once again and waved her hand absent-mindedly in the air.</p><p>“No idea! They’re probably loitering around somewhere, couldn’t tell you where though.” She replied causing Hei-Ran to again pinch the bridge of her nose. Rangi was shocked that her mother was allowing someone under her command to speak to her in such a way. It was something that would never have happened when Hei-Ran was still an officer in the army. It seemed that not only had Yokoya aged her, but it made also made her weak. Her thoughts were interrupted when her mother turned to her and gestured towards the woman.</p><p>“Well I can at least introduce one of the trio to you. This is Kirima, she is one of the… defenders we have here at Yokoya.” Hei-Ran announced rather formally but her strange pause mid-sentence made Rangi raise an eyebrow. Her confusion only grew as Kirima put her hand on her chest and mockingly fluttered her eyelashes.</p><p>“Please boss, you flatter me but you may as well call me what I am.” Kirima said as she turned to Rangi with a self-important grin stretched across her face. “My blades were available for hire and she offered me a good price for them.” She continued, her smile growing with each passing word. Rangi was momentarily confused by what she said till it suddenly dawned on her.</p><p>“You’re a mercenary?” She asked through gritted teeth, unable to hide her disdain. Amongst the many things Rangi hated in the world, sellswords were very high on the list. They were dishonourable lowlifes with no sense of honour except to whoever had the deepest pockets. At least it went some way to explaining her blasé attitude to Hei-Ran’s commands. </p><p>“Not just any mercenary, I’m the very best money can buy!” Kirima replied, puffing out her chest and flashing a cocky smile. Rangi rolled her eyes, pretty sure that’s what they all said about themselves. However the gesture didn’t go unnoticed by the young woman, evident by the way her brow creased into a frown. “Have something to say, Topknot?” She asked, her tone low and threatening. Her right hand lowered to her waist and drifted dangerously close to one of her blades that rested there. Rangi narrowed her eyes at Kirima’s silent intimidation. If it was a fight she wanted then it was a fight she was going to get. Undoubtedly sensing the heavy tension between the two warriors, Atuat stepped forward, placing herself firmly in the middle of Rangi and Kirima. </p><p>“That reminds me, I need to talk to you about something!” She stated and whilst an obvious lie, Atuat said it with such gusto that Rangi almost believed her.</p><p>“Come Rangi, let us continue.” Hei-Ran said before turning and briskly walking off in the opposite direction. Getting her mother’s not-so-subtle hint to separate, she begrudgingly followed after her. Before leaving she turned to give Kirima one last parting glare. The woman in question caught her looking and shifted her gaze away from Atuat, who was too engaged in her own conversation to notice. She pointed at her eyes with her index and little finger then rotated her wrist to aim them at Rangi. The gesture was a clear message, she was keeping an eye on her! The fury at the disrespectful act caused Rangi’s blood to boil once again. She wanted nothing more than to wipe the floor with her but unfortunately that wasn’t an option right now. Instead Rangi scrunched her face into a rather unflattering frown and returned the gesture. Hers was nowhere near as elegant as Kirima’s which annoyed her further. She quickly turned round and stormed off after her mother, was not willing to wait around to see Kirima’s reaction. </p><p>It didn’t take her long to catch up and she chose to follow Hei-Ran in silence. There were a hundred different questions swimming around in her head, like a pond filled with too many fish. However there was one that burned at the forefront of her mind. </p><p>How soon could she leave this place?</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Firstly I know that the Avatar universe is mainly influenced by Chinese culture however my fic is based on feudal Japan. Was this done mainly so Rangi could use a katana like a badass...maybe! ^^; The other reason is because I draw a lot of inspiration from Princess Mononoke, Nioh 2 and Ghost of Tsushima which are all set in a Japanese backdrop.</p><p>Secondly whilst in this universe there is no bending I kept the nation names the same in order to hopefully avoid confusion!</p><p>Hopefully that cleans some things up! ^^</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Dinner and A Dream</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Rangi confronts her mother over dinner about the unease between them!</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The room that Rangi had been given at the governess’s house was simple, which suited her just fine. It had all the basic furniture one would expect in a bedroom, a single bed standing in one corner and a small wardrobe in the other. A couple of wooden shelves were nailed into the far wall next to a window which looked out over the forest. Rangi guessed from a couple of battered crates stacked next to the wardrobe that this was in a fact a storage room, most likely haphazardly cleared and turned into a makeshift sleeping quarters. In fact, the whole house was rather plain and simple. It was little more than a slightly larger building than the rest of the homes in town. It had all the standard amenities: a kitchen, a dining area, a bedroom and finally a small study for her mother. However, it wasn’t the modesty of the place that bothered Rangi - she was after all a woman of the military, she was used to roughing it in crowded army barracks or camping in rugged terrain. What bothered her was seeing her mother within it!</p><p>She was not used to seeing Hei-Ran without a backdrop of splendour. Her mother was not a flamboyant person by any stretch of the imagination. However, often due to her position as commanding officer, she often found herself in grand places. Whether it was a lord’s stately home, an imposing fortress or even the Fire Palace itself, Hei-Ran seemed to always be surrounded by a halo of red and gold.  So to see her in such a dull and ordinary place was at odds with the image Rangi had in her head of her mother. Another reason why she hated Yokoya after such a short time.</p><p>Most of her things had been unpacked already. The few clothes she had brought were hung up in the wardrobe and her armour was neatly stacked beneath the shelves. Her katana rested against the wall in the corner of the room - not the most dignified way to store such a hallowed blade, but it was better than lying it on the floor. All that remained to unpack was the most important item in Rangi’s possession.</p><p>Carefully, as if handling the most fragile of glass, Rangi took out the small calligraphy portrait of her deceased father from her pack. She had it commissioned from an artist just before joining the academy, wanting to keep a piece of him close to her. The portrait differed slightly from those that people normally had made of a passed loved one. It was tradition to have them painted with a serious expression but instead Junsik’s face bore a soft smile. She wanted to remember him in death as he had been in life. Although she had been very young when he passed away, the weight of his loss had been immeasurable. Junsik was the heart and soul of their little family. His death had left a hole in both Rangi’s and her mother’s lives that had never really been filled and maybe never would. She wondered what he would think if he saw them both now. No doubt he would be saddened to see the two most important women in his life barely speaking to each other. Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on her door.</p><p>“Dinner is on the table whenever you are ready, Mistress Rangi.” An elderly female voice called from the other side. She immediately recognized it as coming from Auntie Mui, her mother’s only servant. Hei-Ran had introduced Rangi to the household staff when she had first arrived at the house. A remarkably quick process seeing as it consisted of only one person! Mui seemed a nice enough person, if somewhat obsessed with formalities. She insisted that Rangi call her auntie, despite her seeing no evidence of any nieces or nephews. Likewise, she had taken to referring to Rangi as Mistress for some unknown reason. She chose to let her as it didn’t really bother her and it seemed to make the old woman happy.</p><p>“Thank you, I’ll be there shortly.” She replied and the sound of retreating footsteps told her that the message had been heard. Rangi let out a long sigh, there was no more avoiding her mother. She opened the door and headed to the dining room. Upon entering, she saw the table laden with numerous plates of food. There was everything from dried sweet potato to seared river fish! She just hoped that Auntie Mui had only gone all out for her arrival, because she couldn’t eat like this every night and expect to keep her figure. However, even the presence of her favourite dish, stalknose mushrooms, couldn’t brighten her mood. Hei-Ran sat at the far end of the table, chopsticks in hand having already started to eat. She looked up at Rangi enter, watching her silently as she took the empty seat opposite her. An awkward quiet hung in the air as Rangi helped herself to the platter of cuisines and began to eat. The only sound in the room was the click of chopsticks and the chewing of food.</p><p>“So, are you settling in alright?” Hei-Ran asked, a clear and desperate attempt to break the stalemate. But Rangi was having none of it, her frustrations from the past few days finally boiling over! She slammed her fist on the table with such force that she nearly broke her chopsticks in half.</p><p>“Why am I here, mother?! You send me a letter completely out of the blue, the first I have heard from you in years! You call my honour into question in order to summon me to this shabby old town, which I’d like to add is in the middle of nowhere and yet I have no idea why! I’m pretty sure you didn’t call me all this way to have dinner with me!” She snapped at Hei-Ran, unable to keep the burning anger from her voice. If they were going to talk, it may as well be about something useful. Her mother looked taken aback by her sudden outburst but swiftly recovered. Her face settled into a serious expression. She gently placed her chopsticks down on the table and folded her arms across her lap. Rangi would have thought she was stalling for time if she hadn’t recognised the posture as the one Hei-Ran always used for business matters.</p><p>“I called you here because our town has recently come under threat. Bandits have been attacking our convoys. Both the iron shipments leaving town and the supply carts coming in. With each attack they are getting bolder and their numbers are growing. I don’t need to tell you, Rangi, that if we cannot export our iron then we will not survive.” She stated, her features seeming to grow more rigid with each passing word, showing just how seriously she was taking the situation. On the other hand, Rangi’s annoyance was only growing and her brow instinctively creasing into a deep frown.</p><p>“Why not ask the local lord for help? Surely he is duty-bound to send troops if one of the towns under his protection is being attack.” Rangi asked, unsure why her mother hadn’t thought of that already. However, Hei-Ran let out a long sigh and shook her head. It seemed she already had!</p><p>“I have previously contacted Lu Beifong, but he is a stubborn old fool. He said that we are too far out and that he cannot spare the resources, which is total nonsense if you ask me. I believe he has some ulterior motives, but I can’t figure out what they could be.” Hei-Ran replied, her face as annoyed as Rangi’s, if slightly more contained than her. She adjusted herself awkwardly in her chair, as if suddenly and inexplicably uncomfortable. Rangi guessed whatever she was going to say next wouldn’t be easy to hear. “That is why I had resort to other methods of defending the town.” She continued and with it exposing the source of her discomfort. Rangi knew that her mother was no stranger to her opinion on sellswords. She grit her teeth in a desperate attempt to bite back the torrent of curses that threatened to overflow from her mouth.</p><p>“Why would you bring yourself down to such a level that you would hire mercenaries?  They’re honourless lowlifes, chasing money as dogs chase their tails!” She spat back, her voice as bitter as she felt. As if her mother couldn’t lower herself more in Rangi’s opinion, she somehow found a way. Hei-Ran just shook her head and held her daughter’s gaze, clearly not backing down.</p><p>“What was I to do, Rangi? Was I to leave the town defenceless? Was I to walk away from the people who needed me?” She asked, a series of questions that she neither wanted nor needed any answer to. The look in her eyes was one of a person who knew without a shadow of a doubt that she was right. However Rangi disagreed, narrowing her eyes and looking away in a moment of weakness, unable to keep her disdain to herself but also unable to direct it at her mother. </p><p>“It didn’t stop you before.” She snarled under her breath, but the sudden slam of fists on the table told her that her comment didn’t go unheard. She turned to Hei-Ran just in time to see her stand with such force that she nearly sent her chair flying to the ground. The stone face of the military commander with her emotions under control was completely broken. In its place was a look of burning anger so raw that Rangi could almost visualise the flames spitting from her tongue.</p><p>“How dare you!” She bellowed, each word sneering with rage. Finally the unspoken tension between the two women was acknowledged and laid bare for all to see. It seemed they were no longer going to dance around the point but, judging from her mother’s reaction, face it head-on. However, Hei-Ran’s outburst only strengthened her resolve. She dug in her heels and stared down her opponent. Rangi Sei'naka never backed down from a fight, especially one of honour.</p><p>“Am I wrong, mother? Did you not abandon your nation in its hour of need?” She yelled back, matching her mother in tone and volume. It was the greatest dishonour to ever befall the clan name and its source was Hei-Ran’s cowardice. Over the last three years, the noble Fire Nation had been torn apart by civil war. It was a painfully familiar and tragic tale! The Fire Lord had died suddenly and left behind two sons, each with a different mother. The oldest child born to his mistress and the youngest born to his wife. Both claimed they had the divine right to the throne. So the battle lines were drawn between their two clans and their allies, each one backing its chosen prince. Thus began the Camellia-Peony War. Rangi had fought in the conflict under the banner of the Keohso clan and for Zoryu, the legitimate child of Fire Lord. Whilst in the end her side was victorious, the bloodshed had cost her much. One such price was her relationship with her mother. A little over a year into the war, Hei-Ran unexpectedly retired from her position as commanding officer, instead taking up residence as the governor of a small town on the edge of the Fire Nation, far from the fighting. When the army was desperate for soldiers, especially ones with years of experience, her mother instead chose to flee. Rumours of her being a deserter spread like wildfire through the ranks, until finally they reached Rangi. She had stormed into her mother’s office, demanding answers but receiving none. Their talk had played out much the same way as it was now, a tirade of shouting and accusations. That had been the last time they had spoken in over four years, until her letter arrived a week ago. Rangi wondered if this time, maybe she’d get some answers.</p><p>“I abandoned no-one! I served my nation with honour for over thirty years. I fought and bled for my country a thousand times over! I earned my right to leave as I saw fit.” Hei-Ran countered and yet her response did nothing to reduce Rangi’s fury. </p><p>“Then why did you leave when your country needed you the most?! It was tearing itself apart and you left it to burn, all so you could look after some mediocre mining town!” She shouted back, now also on her feet although she didn’t remember standing, her mind too hot with rage to remember. At her remark, Hei-Ran let out a humourless laugh, a sound that only seemed to mock Rangi.</p><p>“You make it sound like my absence was the difference between victory and defeat. I don’t need to remind you that the Fire Nation military has some of the best tactical minds in the world, one less would have made no difference to the outcome. Hence why the Keohso clan were triumphant in the end. Besides, I had my reason for leaving.” She replied and to Rangi her logic annoyingly made sense, except for one crucial detail. She wasn’t going to let it go unnoticed, not this time. </p><p>“What reason, mother? What was so important that you would leave your nation in tatters and dishonour our family name?” Rangi asked, her voice so loud that it almost seemed to shake the wooden walls of the house. Still, in her heart she was desperate, seeking only the answers to a question that had plagued her for so many years. However, at her words something in Hei-Ran visibly broke. In an instant the fight left her body, like the flame of a candle being snuffed out. She lowered her gaze to the floor in defeat. The first time since the shouting began that her eyes had left Rangi’s. Her shoulders sagged as the tension within them faded, leaving her looking beaten.</p><p>“I cannot say.” She replied, her voice little more than a whisper. To Rangi, it felt as if the bottom had fallen from her world. After all those years they had spent apart, she had hoped against all hope that something might have changed. That her mother would finally tell her the truth, but it seemed she was mistaken. The woman who had raised her and been her inspiration for most of her life was now little more than a stranger to her. Her anger and bitterness coiled in on themselves, leaving nothing but a cold emptiness. She clenched her fists and looked away. She screwed her eyes tightly shut so as to not let her tears fall. Whether they were tears of rage or sadness, she did not care. Taking a deep breath to bury her boiling emotions inside her, she turned back to face her mother. Rangi did her best to keep her expression neutral, one of icy indifference. </p><p>“Fine, keep your secrets! I will help you with your bandit problem. But I am only doing so for the sake of our family’s honour, not because of you. After that, I am gone and I never want to see you again!” She said through gritted teeth and with that, she turned and walked away. She caught a brief glimpse of her as she did. The woman looked utterly broken, her hand on her chest as if she had suffered a grievous wound. It mattered little to Rangi now, her mother had chosen her path and it was one she had chosen to walk alone. Rangi just hoped that her silence as she walked away hurt her mother as much as hers had hurt her.</p><p>The short distance back to her room passed in a blur. Entering her room, she slammed the door behind her. She stood motionless in the centre of the empty space, physically and emotionally drained from the fight. She tried desperately to piece together the fragments of her thoughts but with little success. Letting out a long tired sigh, she let her eyes drift to the only window in the room. Beyond it, she could see the forest stretch out like a vast green sea, the leaves moving in the wind like waves. As Rangi watched their gentle swaying, she felt a strange sense of calm wash over her. Her inner turmoil, whilst still present, felt more distant. Like it had been softly pulled away by the flow of a river. Averting her gaze, she took a deep breath using the image of the forest in her mind’s eye to bring her peace. She had no idea why the sight of it had this effect on her. It wasn’t like she hadn’t seen trees before. Whatever it was, she decided to use it to her advantage. She flopped down on the bed, too worn out to bother changing out of her clothes, all she could manage was to slip off her boots. She gradually closed her eyes as she felt the trials of the day pull her into sleep. She prayed to any spirits who may find it in their hearts to listen that she would be spared her usual blood-soaked nightmares.</p><p>~~~~</p><p>Rangi slowly opened her eyes, taking a moment to work out where she was. She found herself surrounded by huge towering trees, stretching all around her as far as she could see. Looking up she could just make out the night sky through the canopy of leaves, the stars shining like silver coins on shimmering black silk. She knew she was dreaming, but this was unlike any dreams she’d ever had before. It was tranquil and she couldn’t smell iron in the air. Before she could ponder her situation further, the sound of a small yip drew her attention. She turned to the source of the noise and was greeted by a very strange sight. Perched on a nearby boulder was a fox watching her intently, its bushy tail swaying back and forth as it did. The thing about it that Rangi instantly noticed was its odd colouring. Whilst it had a normal cream tummy, the rest of its fur was an earthy green instead of a fox’s normal vibrant orange. The colour almost matched the mossy ground beneath Rangi’s bare feet. It hopped down from its rock with an elegant leap. It yipped again at her, sounding almost impatient. The fox scampered away from Rangi a few paces before stopping to turn back to her, clearly wanting her to follow. Despite her brain telling her it was a bad idea, her curiosity won out in the end. She walked after it but the creature quickly picked up speed. It weaved effortlessly through the trees as if it was the wind itself. Soon enough, Rangi was running just to keep up with it.</p><p>“Wait!” she called after it, but the fox kept bounding forward, either not hearing her or didn’t care to. As it dashed around a massive tree, Rangi lost sight of the fox as she followed after it. However as she rounded the trunk, she was forced to quickly come to a halt as she found herself facing a vast pool of water. She never imagined she would find a lake of such size nestled in the forest. The liquid glowed with a strange heavenly blue glow, its light dancing upon the bark of the surrounding trees. As if the water wasn’t strange enough, in the centre of the lake stood a huge ancient tree. It was bigger than any tree that she had ever seen. It stood proud and tall, the size of it dwarfing all those that surrounded it. Rangi felt her breath taken away from her at the beauty of this place. Unable to help herself, she walked cautiously to the water’s edge as if pulled by some strange force. She crouched down so she could reach forward and gently touch its surface with the tips of her fingers. The liquid was cool to the touch but not unpleasantly so. The ripple of her contact flowed around the water in expanding rings of white light. However, no sooner had her fingers graced the surface that the water’s strange glow began to whiten and intensify. Rangi quickly backed away from it, fearing she had disturbed it somehow. As she did she suddenly caught sight of a figure standing on the shore opposite her. The increasing light from the lake was so bright now that she could make out little more than a silhouette. The only thing she could tell from her distance was that whoever they were must be incredibly tall. </p><p>“Who’s there?” she shouted out to the stranger, the brightness so intense now she had to shield her eyes. Yet the figure didn’t react, unmoved by her call. Finally Rangi could face the light no longer, its brilliance shallowed and filled her vision entirely. With a jump she found herself staring up at the wooden celling. She had woken back in her room but the dream she had just witnessed still burned in her mind. What was that place she had seen and just who was the mysterious stranger? Rangi let out a long sigh, with her mind buzzing with so many thoughts she doubted she would get much sleep. Strangely there was one thing that bothered her most of all about her dream. She had no idea how she knew in her heart, but know it she did. The tall stranger she has seen on the shore of the lake in her vision was a woman.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I wonder who this mysterious tall woman is?!? I guess you will have to wait to find out! :P</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. A Begrudging Respect</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Rangi explores Yokoya and meets some more of its colourful residents.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Trigger Warning: Mention of Blood</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>As Rangi predicted, sleep eluded her for the rest of the night. Instead she tossed and turned, each new position just as uncomfortable as the last. Her busy mind prevented her body from resting. At last, after what felt like a lifetime the sun crept over the hills, casting its warm morning rays over Yokoya. Rangi was more relieved than anything that she was finally able to do something. Rising from her bed, she swiftly dressed in her armour. The layers of iron scales bound together by leather cords were a reassuring weight. Each piece against her chest, shoulders, arms and legs added protection and made her feel stronger. She knew that some may view her attire as a bit over-the-top. However as it always said on the sign over the door to the Royal Fire Academy for Girls, “Preparedness carries the day” and this day Rangi didn’t know what she would be facing. Lastly, picking up her katana, she decided now was as good a time as any to put on what she had removed. Going through her pack, she took out a small jade charm carved into the shape of a fox’s head. Seeing it brought back brief memories of her dream, but she quickly shook them away. She had removed it during her journey to Yokoya, fearing she may lose it on the road. Now she was here however, she decided it was needed once again. She had a feeling she needed all the luck she could get. Securely tying it to the pommel of her katana, she felt a little more ready to face the day. She slipped silently out of the house, not wanting to deal with her mother after so little sleep. Thankfully the spirits had chosen to be kind to her and she went unnoticed. </p><p>Her first point of business was to learn the layout of Yokoya and the easiest way to do that was by walking its streets. Whilst the town was quiet, Rangi was surprised by how many people were up and about so soon after sunrise. Mostly it appeared to be miners readying themselves for the day ahead and hunters stringing their bows. As she passed she felt their eyes upon her. She saw them watch her closely, but they made no effort to engage her in conversation. In fact they made every attempt to avoid her gaze. Anytime someone caught her eye they quickly looked away and busied themselves with whatever they had previously been doing. It almost seemed to Rangi that they were afraid of her and yet she could think of nothing she had done to earn that fear. She merely put it down to them never having seen a soldier such as her in full battle armour. Yet they must surely know that she was here to help them?</p><p>However the sound of someone calling her name pulled her from her thoughts before she could dwell on them further. She turned to the source of the noise and found herself facing a rather out-of-breath Atuat. From the way she was puffing it was clear that she had to jog to catch up with her, a task made even more difficult by the large crate she was carrying and the bundles of herbs tucked beneath her arms.</p><p>“Thank the spirits I caught you. Here, give us a hand!” She said and before Rangi had time to react, Atuat thrust the crate into her arms. She had no choice but to catch it or else it would have crashed to the ground. She was taken by surprise at how heavy it was.</p><p>“What do you have in here?” She asked with a slight strain in her voice under its weight.</p><p>“Oh you know, all the usual things a healer needs for her treatments. Wild ginger roots, barley sprouts, dried leeches, tiger urine amongst other things.” Atuat replied, listing off each items with a count on her fingers. Rangi on the other hand was more than a little taken aback by her reply. A mild look of confusion spread across her face.</p><p>“I’m sorry, what was that last one?” Rangi asked, hoping by some miracle that she might have misheard the healer. Atuat just chuckled as she walked past her, cradling the herb bundles in her newly freed arms.  She looked over her shoulder to give Rangi a wide grin.</p><p>“You heard me.” She said with a sly wink. Suddenly Rangi felt very uncomfortable holding the crate. She crinkled her nose, stretching her arms out to carry the container with as much distance as possible between her and it. The extra strain on her limbs was a small price to pay. She followed Atuat as she made her way through the streets. If Rangi had gotten odd looks before, they intensified tenfold now she was apparently doing errands for the town healer. Finally, they reached their destination as Atuat turned off the street and followed the pathway leading to the household. Her home was just like all the others on the outside except for one major difference. The house was surrounded by a large garden filled to the brim with a variety of plants. Whilst Rangi recognised a few herbs, most of them were a complete mystery to her. Ahead of her, Atuat opened the door and stepped aside so that she could enter.</p><p>“Just put it down wherever you like.” She said and Rangi didn’t need telling twice. She swiftly dumped the crate in the first clear patch of floor she spotted, glad to be rid of it. Atuat chuckled at her clear discomfort. “You fire folk are all the same!” She snorted, more to herself than Rangi as she began to sort through the herbs she had carried in. Rangi took a moment to take in the interior of the healer’s hut. The wall closest to her was lined with shelves housing various jars containing various ingredients and liquids. She didn’t want to hazard a guess at what any of them could be. Below them was a long desk laden with odd-looking tools and knives, all of which looked to have seen better days. Seeing them gave Rangi all the more reason not to get injured on the job. Her eyes continued to drift round the room and settle on two small beds against the far wall, no doubt for patients who needed more intensive treatment. Thankfully, both of them were currently unoccupied. The only thing left of interest to Rangi was the small set of steps in the corner of the room, which she guessed lead up to Atuat’s private quarters.</p><p>“So how are you finding our little town? I bet it’s a bit different to the capital. You settling in alright?” The healer asked, breaking Rangi from her impromptu inspection of her residence. She couldn’t help but flinch slightly at the same question that had started the disastrous conversation with her mother the previous night. She quickly recovered, unlike before Atuat probably did genuinely want to know.</p><p>“Yes, thank you Mistress Atuat. Everyone has been very welcoming.” She replied, opting for a polite lie rather than the honest truth. Atuat crossed her arms and raised her eyebrow at her. Rangi got a sinking feeling in her gut that her answer wasn’t going fly with the healer.</p><p>“Firstly, none of the “mistress” nonsense! I know how you fire folk love your titles but it just makes me feel old. Secondly, I hardly doubt people can be considered friendly when they are running scared of you. Not that I’m surprised that they are, not many enter a shouting match with Hei-Ran and live to tell the tale!” She stated and Rangi’s mouth opened in a gasp.</p><p>“How do you know about that?” She asked, unable to fathom how she could have learned of their fight. Her mother’s home was located quite some way from the other houses and as far as she was aware, Auntie Mui had already left by the time the conflict started.</p><p>“News travels like wildfire in a small settlement like ours. We have a saying in Yokoya that the whole town knows you’re pregnant before your husband does. Besides, from what I heard the two of you were not quiet. You will be glad to know that the contents of your disagreement escaped prying ears, however I’ll admit it does not escape my curiosity.” She said leaning against the edge of her desk, clearly getting comfortable for the interrogation to come. Something about the look in her eyes gave Rangi the feeling that she wouldn’t be leaving with all her secrets intact. Atuat didn’t seem like the kind of woman who gave up easily. Besides, if her time in the military taught her anything, it was that if there was one person you wanted on your side, it was the person keeping you alive. She let out a long sigh, resigning herself to her fate.</p><p>“The last time my mother and I spoke, we didn’t part on the best of terms.” She replied, shifting uncomfortably but continuing nonetheless. “She never told me why she chose to leave the army and come here instead. I hoped that maybe things had changed during our time apart and she would finally tell me, but I was wrong. I very much doubt she’s even thought about me at all in the last four years.” She said, turning her face away from Atuat slightly in order to hide the hurt she knew to be showing in her eyes. When she turned back to face her, she saw the healer sadly shake her head and stand up straight.</p><p>“I’m sure when she is ready she will, you just need patience. Hei-Ran never does anything without reason. As for the other thing, I know for sure that isn’t true. In fact it’s quite the opposite, there hasn’t been a day when she hasn’t thought of you.” Atuat replied, she sounded so certain of her words and yet Rangi couldn’t find it in herself to believe them.</p><p>“I wish that was true, but I doubt it.” Rangi said as she let her shoulders slump in defeat. As much as she was angry at her mother, a part of her deeply missed the close bond they once shared. Atuat took the couple of steps to close the gap between them, placing her hand on Rangi’s shoulder in a gesture of comfort.</p><p>“I’ll let you in on a little secret. I’m so sure she thinks about you because the whole time she has been here, she has received reports on you from the Fire Nation. Mostly they come monthly but sometimes they come as often as weekly.” She said as a gentle smile graced her lips. As Rangi looked at her face, she saw no hint of a lie causing her eyes to widen in surprise. Of all the things she expected Atuat to say, that was not one of them!</p><p>“How do you know this?” Rangi asked, her state of shock allowing her brain to think up no better questions. In response, Atuat gave her one of her signature sly winks.</p><p>“Because I’m a nosey so and so! She keeps them in her desk in the study, bottom left compartment. You can check if you don’t believe me.” She said, removing her hand from Rangi’s shoulder and her smile shifting from warm to unabashedly smug! “Anyway I mustn’t keep you! I’m sure a busy soldier like you has much to do and I’ve already taken enough of your time!” She continued and before Rangi had any idea what was happening, she found herself swiftly ushered out the door. It was only when said door was slammed in her face did she break from her stunned stupor! No doubt Atuat planned to dump the information on her and then get rid of her before she could ask any further questions. She let out a deeply annoyed sigh, not enjoying the feeling of being played. She had a feeling that even if she marched back in there, she highly doubted the sneaky healer would reveal any more. Instead she stormed off, hoping a long walk would cool her off.</p><p>~~~~</p><p>Rangi’s stroll took her through the many streets and back alleys of Yokoya. She even managed to find a stand selling yakitori tucked away from the beaten path. The seller was happy to take her coin in exchange for the food. She was almost ashamed to admit it, but there was no denying it tasted better than those she’d had in the capital. Content from having some lunch, Rangi decided her next stop would be the place she planned to spend most of her trip at.</p><p>The town’s garrison was located next to the main gate into town. Whilst Rangi knew that the settlement was short on defenders, she didn’t expect to find the place completely deserted. The silence was almost eerie to her. All the barracks she had ever visited were a hub of activity.  With no-one seemingly around she decided to have a look around. Like most of the buildings in Yokoya, the garrison was little more than a run-down version of what it should be. To her dismay, the armoury consisted of a small storage room that contained one rusty spear. The sleeping quarters were not much better! Instead of neat rows of bunks, the room appeared to have been gutted and turned into something that more closely resembled someone’s private room. There were only three beds in the relatively large space. However Rangi didn’t dare step inside as the mess of clothes, equipment and empty bottles made her skin crawl. It couldn’t be further from the perfect order of the soldiers’ lodgings back at the army base where she had been previously stationed. Such untidiness would be unthinkable there, not to mention punishable.</p><p>The sound of laughter coming from the training ground drew her attention. Rangi clenched her jaw, someone was going to answer for the chaos that had descended on the barracks. Such disarray was unacceptable! Entering the grounds, she found them just as neglected as the rest of the place. Weeds littered the earth of the training square which should be perfectly flat. Sat leaning against the furthest fence from her were three figures, one of whom she recognised as Kirima, who was lounging between two young men. The older of the two appeared to be in his late twenties. His black hair was cut extremely short and his face was clean shaven. Even sat down, Rangi could tell he was very tall and had strength built into his bulky frame. Lying beside him was a naginata, which if it did indeed belong to him seemed like a strange choice. Surely a large man such as him would want a weapon that utilised his strength? The other man was little more than a boy, to call him a teenager seemed almost too generous. His messy sand coloured hair was barely contained by his cloth headwraps. He looked as though he had just been plucked from the desert sands. It put him quite at odds with the lush forest surroundings. At seeing her approach, Kirima scoffed loudly and rolled her eyes.</p><p>“Well, well, well! If it isn’t Madam Topknot herself come to grace us with her presence.” She stated loudly in a tone dripping with sarcasm. Clearly she was just as thrilled to see Rangi as she was to see her. Nevertheless her words caused her companions to turn in her direction. They both stood to meet her but instead Kirima stayed sitting, if anything she seemed to slouch further into the ground. The taller of the two bowed his head towards her.</p><p>“Greetings, you must be Rangi. Hei-Ran told us that you would be arriving. My name is Flitting Sparrowkeet Wong but you may call me Wong.” He said and she replied with a bow of her own. He seemed polite enough, unfortunately the same couldn’t be said of his acquaintance. Rangi turned to him and was greeted by a crooked smile plastered across his face. He pointed at himself with his thumb, puffing out his chest. Now that he was standing, Rangi could see the yumi bow and arrows strapped to his back. </p><p>“The name’s Lek of the Whistling Death!” He announced, his voice brimming with boastful pride, however at his comment Wong turned to him with a confused expression.</p><p>“I thought you were Lek of the Piercing Shot?” Wong asked and a look of distress crossed Lek’s face at being caught in a lie.</p><p>“No, I’m pretty sure last I heard it was Lek of the Crushed Skulls!” Kirima chipped in, finally deciding to join in the convention as she regarded Lek with a raised eyebrow.</p><p>“Well I go by many names, such is the legend of my deathly accuracy!” He said as he waved away his comrades in a desperate attempt to save what was left of his dignity. “Anyway now that you have met us all, I can officially introduce you to the Flying Opera Company!” He announced boastfully, throwing out his arms in a flamboyant display. Unfortunately his showmanship was dampened slightly by the rather unimpressed reactions of his three audience members. In fact his only feedback was loud groan from Kirima. On the other hand, Rangi was too confused at the peculiar name to give him a better response.</p><p>“Your group is called the Flying Opera Company? That seems a strange choice of name given that you are not performers.” Rangi asked as her eyes scanned over the three individuals that stood before her. It seemed their odd little gang was only getting odder by the minute. The grin on Lek’s face grew at her question. She got the impression she was going to hear a story that he very much enjoyed telling.</p><p>“Well the name is in fact a stroke of genius courtesy of yours truly. When we're travelling on the road it means that bandits are more likely to leave us alone. Most robbers don’t bother with small performer companies as they rarely carry much in the way of coin. Even if they do attack, then we get to catch them off-guard by in fact being trained warriors. It’s the perfect cover!” He said and looked at Rangi with a gleam in his eye, clearly waiting for her praise at his brilliance. Instead Rangi creased her brow and looked at him with disdain.</p><p>“So you lie? Bring dishonour on the warrior’s profession by claiming to be common entertainers!” She asked, her words thick with contempt. Lek seemed to visibly shrink under her gaze, his grin suddenly turning sheepish. Rangi wouldn’t dare disgrace herself or the years of training to master her skill with the sword in such a way. She was a soldier of the Fire Nation and to call herself anything less was a dishonour she would not suffer. Kirima chuckled at her question, but it was a humourless and mocking sound. She slowly stood up and brushed herself off as she did. She met Rangi’s glare with an unflinching one of her own.</p><p>“What a surprise! The topknot wants to lecture us on honour. Well I’m going to cut you off right there before my ears rot off of my skull. Some of us are just trying to survive, we have no use for your so-called honour!” She replied as she put her hands on her hips, her words a blatant and blasphemous challenge to everything that Rangi stood for. She clenched her jaw and fists against the rising tide of fury that burned in her blood.</p><p>“My honour is what keeps me from selling my sword to the highest bidder. Unlike you I don’t kill for the sake of a few coins. I fight to protect and serve my county, whilst you only fight to fill your own pocket.” She growled through gritted teeth but Kirima didn’t back down, if anything she seemed to rise to meet her.</p><p>“Well as a mercenary I can choose who I fight for and which cause I serve. Nothing like you, who killed their fellow countrymen because some guy in a golden tower told you to!” Kirima narrowed her eyes at Rangi, she clearly knew what she had said and meant every word. To Rangi it was the final straw, a wound to her honour she wouldn’t suffer silently. In one swift motion she drew her katana and pointed it at the woman’s throat, mere inches from her skin. The air between them seemed to crackle with the tension. Wong and Lek instinctively took a step back, a look of total shock on their faces. So much so they seemed too surprised to interfere. However, Kirima didn’t flinch at the blade at her throat, but instead an amused smile graced her lips.</p><p>“Are you challenging me topknot?” She asked, to which Rangi tightened the grip on her katana.</p><p>“For the sake of my honour, I am!” She replied. Finally she would get her chance to show Kirima how a real warrior fights. Wiping the grin from her face was just a pleasant extra reward. Slowly she lowered her sword, for the challenge had been issued and accepted. All that remained now were the terms.</p><p>“First to draw blood wins.” Kirima stated plainly as it was clear that she was just as eager for actions over words. However Wong swiftly stepped between them, holding up his hands and looking at them both with a serious expression.</p><p>“Not too much blood! I do not want to have to explain to Hei-Ran if one of you gets seriously injured or worse, ends up dead!” He said but in response Rangi just narrowed her eyes at him. She was no fool and she resented being treated as such. She knew the rules of the duel and she would not be dying this day. Kirima’s response was not much better than hers. She rolled her eyes and scoffed at him. Unlike Lek however, he didn’t wither under their vicious glazes but merely shrugged knowing his message had been heard and slowly backed away.  The two men headed to the arena’s edge, both safely out of harm’s way. Kirima calmly walked past Rangi, whose eyes followed her round to head to her position opposite her. Reaching her mark, she spun on the spot to face her opponent with only a few paces between them. The ghost of a smile graced her face as she pulled her knives from their sheaths and readied them in front of her. </p><p>“The she-wolf bares her fangs!” She heard Lek say behind her. She didn’t need to see him to know he was enjoying the display far too much. Without taking her gaze from Kirima, she raised her own weapon. With both hands on the grip, she lifted it so it was level with her eye line and pointed the tip of her blade at her opponent. They were both ready and now began the stand-off of who would strike first.</p><p>It didn’t last long, for in the blink of an eye Kirima surged forward with the speed of a tidal wave. Taken aback by her incredible swiftness, Rangi rushed forward to meet her. Their blades clashed in the centre of the arena and the ringing of steel on steel cut through the air, the metal grinding together as they each pushed hard against the other for dominance. It wasn’t the most elegant collision but instead a test of wills. Their eyes locked in a battle to see who would break first. Once again Kirima acted first, twisting her knives at such an angle that Rangi’s katana slide off them like water. She almost lost her footing for a moment but quickly regained it. With the grace of a dancer, she planted her feet firmly beneath her and counterattacked. For an instant, Kirima looked surprised that Rangi was able to recover so quickly, but was still able to block her just in time. Rangi did not let up the ferocity of her attacks and yet none of her blows could break Kirima’s defences. She was astonished to see her deflect her strikes not with strength but with softness. She seemed to move Rangi’s katana with a gentle touch so that they almost flowed off of her. Not only that but the fact that she used two knifes meant that any opening left by first was immediately covered by the second. Rangi had little to no experience fighting someone who wielded two weapons and it was showing. Nevertheless under the intensity of her attacks, Kirima was unable to mount a counter-attack. Even if she did, they were too hasty and well-announced that she easily blocked them. It was painfully clear to Rangi that they were both perfectly and evenly matched. The fierceness of a raging fire against the subtlety of flowing water. Each of their traded blows met so equally that no ground was ever gained. All Rangi needed was a break in Kirima’s defences, but at the same time she was waiting for a break in her attacks.</p><p>They broke apart for a brief moment, both breathing heavily from their battle but neither willing to back down. Rangi could feel a bead of sweat run down the side of her face. She did take a small comfort to see a solemn expression on Kirima’s face. Clearly she was taking the fight seriously, which could only mean that she was surprised at her opponent’s skill. Rangi knew if she didn’t finish the duel soon she would burn out and lose. There was no doubt that Kirima could hold out her defence longer than she could keep up her offence. Entering the mindset of the tactician, she ran through everything she had witnessed of her adversary to try and find a weakness. Her upper body was an impenetrable wall of knives and grace, but her lower half less so. Actually, the more Rangi thought on it, the more she realised her legs moved remarkably little. All her bodily awareness lay in her arms and that was her flaw. An idea formed in her mind now she had found the crack in her defences.</p><p>Rangi charged forward and once again Kirima rose to meet her. However, instead of aiming high, at the last moment she charged to strike low at her thigh. Taken completely by surprise, all she could do to avoid the attack was to step back which put her totally off balance. Whilst Rangi’s first strike had missed, she was perfectly placed for a second one. She swiftly brought up her blade up and with a sharp jab drove the pommel into Kirima’s right hand. The force of the blow caused her to drop her knife which landed with a clang on the ground. Now fully exposed, all Rangi had to do was close the gap and bring the edge of her katana to her neck. It barely touched her but it was just enough to break the skin as a small trickle of blood slid down the steel. However instead of a look of defeat Kirima smiled at her as her eyes drifted downwards. Rangi followed her gaze and peered down but before she could see what had happened, she felt it! A small but sharp sensation of pain in her lower side. It suddenly dawned on her that despite disarming her main weapon, Rangi had forgotten about her offhand one. The very same one that Kirima had managed to slide between the plates of her armour. She had dug the tip of her blade into her side and in doing so had drawn blood, all whilst she had been distracted. In exposing one of her weaknesses, Kirima had done the same. She had failed to recognize that the second knife was just as deadly as the first!</p><p>“Seriously? A draw? That is so rubbish!” She heard Lek groan behind her. Slowly she felt Kirima withdraw her blade and she responded by also lowering hers. She turned to the two spectators and whilst Lek looked like he had been severely cheated, Wong had a genuine look of happiness on his face.</p><p>“No, I would say that’s the prefect result.” He said as he looked between the two women. Rangi turned back to Kirima to find her wiping the blood from her neck with the back of her hand.</p><p>“It would seem that I underestimated you.” She said and whilst it sounded like her normal sarcasm, something in her voice had changed. If Rangi didn’t know any better, she would have said she sounded honestly impressed. Not only that but if she was being honest with herself she was impressed by Kirima in return.</p><p>“You are not half-bad yourself.” She replied, the half-hearted compliment carrying more weight than the words themselves let on. Kirima let out a chuckle as she stretched out her arm, a gesture of peace. Rangi reached out her hand and clasped her forearm. An agreement of respect had been gained through battle between the two warriors. Whilst Rangi doubted they would ever see eye to eye, at the very least they respected each other’s skill. No matter how begrudgingly that may be.  </p><p>~~~~</p><p>By the time Rangi finally made it back to Hei-Ran’s house, she was exhausted. Her meeting with Atuat, fight with Kirima and roundabout walk through town left her feeling drained. Thankfully, according to Auntie Mui her mother was attending to an issue in one of the mines, so at least she didn’t have to worry about the ongoing awkwardness between them for another day. However as she headed back to her room, a movement in the corner of her eye drew her attention. She turned to see the door to her mother’s study open and swinging slightly in the soft breeze. As she looked at it, Atuat’s words echoed in her mind. She didn’t want to invade her mother’s privacy, but at the same time she couldn’t help wondering if what the healer had said was true. Unable to hold back any longer, she took a deep breath to steady herself. Slowly she went over to the door and carefully pushed it open.</p><p>The study was a simple room, the walls lined with shelves upon shelves packed high with scrolls. Opposite the entrance was a large wooden desk and chair on which sat a small red cotton cushion. The single window in the room let in the warm rays of the setting sun, bathing the room in a golden glow, making the space feel even more forbidden. Edging over to the desk, Rangi briefly looked over its surface. It was covered with various papers and writing instruments, neatly organized into piles. A smile threatened to form on her lips. Some things never changed, for it seemed her mother was just as tidy as ever. Nevertheless she forced herself to focus, as she wasn’t here to reminisce about the past that had never felt so distant. She crouched down in front of the bottom left compartment which, if she remembered correctly, was the location Atuat described. Looking inside she saw a sizeable stack of papers tied up with a red silk ribbon. Curious she reached in and lifted them up to place them on the desk. She carefully untied the ribbon so she could read the topmost paper. </p><p>As she did, her eyes widened in complete shock! The writing detailed her request for extended leave, the very same request she had put in to come to Yokoya. Flicking through the rest of the pages, it was just as Atuat said. Every deployment, every battle, every promotion she had ever been a part of! It was all here! Not only that, but to add to her surprise, the very last one was dated almost four years ago. Her mother had kept every single report she had received in all that time. Rangi had resigned herself to thinking that when her mother had left her, she had also forgotten about her. Yet right in front of her was solid evidence that proved that simply wasn’t true. Her head swirled with so many emotions. Somehow nothing had changed and yet at the same time everything had changed. After all this time her mother still cared for her. But if that was the case, why had she chosen to leave her?</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>For anyone who may be interested Rangi’s armour design is inspired by a stunning piece of artwork done by the amazingly talented @1hellofacookie (tumblr) of Rangi wearing samurai armour! It was one of the reasons for my fiction's setting and you should definitely check out the rest of her awesome stuff!</p><p>Also in my head I imagine Rangi and Kirima fighting with “Ushiwaka’s Dance” from the Okami Ost playing in the background!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Long Way for a Coin</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Rangi learns some very interesting things about the forest that surrounds Yokoya.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Trigger Warning: Blood, Violence &amp; Killing</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Rangi decided about five days into her stay at Yokoya that country life did not suit. It was too quiet and too relaxed for a busy person such as herself. She was used to the rigid schedule of military life. To wake up at dawn and show up on time. So when she had accidentally overslept one morning and turned up late to the barracks, she was horrified that no-one honestly cared! Not that she really did anything whilst she was there. It was a tedious cycle of watching the gate, running through her training exercises and sharpening her sword. However even whilst doing so little, she still somehow managed to do more than her comrades. They seem perfectly content to simply lounge around all day. One small mercy was that at least she had managed to mostly avoid her mother. Anytime they did meet the air was filled with such awkward silence that it was almost painful. After Rangi recent discovery of her mother’s report her heart was too conflicted that she no longer knew how to truly feel about the woman. Besides, she couldn’t tell her about them without revealing she had gone through her things uninvited. So instead she had gone for the safer option and avoided speaking to her at all. The only time that had properly spoken was when Hei-Ran had asked for her assistance to escort an important shipment of iron. A chance that Rangi had quite literally jumped at. Any excuse to do something and leave town if only for a few hours.</p><p>However, before heading to the meeting spot she needed to make a quick stop at Yun’s shop. She had discovered his store during one of her many explorations of the town. Yun was a smart and charismatic young man if a little full of himself. He clearly had a head for business as his shop was the wealthiest and best stocked in Yokoya. The only downside being that there was only so much of Yun she could take before she wanted to strangle him. Rangi wasn’t a woman who enjoyed being charmed by any man, no matter how good-looking they thought they were. Stepping through the door she was immediately greeted by a big stupid grin on Yun’s face as he looked up from his reading to see her enter. He stood up behind the counter and opened his arms wide in a rather flamboyant welcome.</p><p>“Well if it isn’t my favourite customer! To what do I owe the pleasure of your lovely company this fine morning?” He asked to which Rangi did her best to hold back a scoff. His greeting contained far too many words when a simple hello would suffice.</p><p>“Morning Yun,” she replied dryly but her lack of enthusiasm did little to dampen his own.</p><p> “I have just received a shipment of the finest fire lilies. I’m sure a few of them would brighten up that dingy old room of yours.” He said with a wink, Rangi didn’t know if he was flirting with her or trying make a quick sale. Either way she was having not of it.</p><p> “I have no need for flowers, I’m only after some new clothes today. Apparently Auntie Mui is already tired of having to keep washing and drying the few that I have got.” In Rangi’s defence she thought she wouldn’t be staying long so had brought the minimum amount of garments possible. Which according to Auntie Mui was simply unacceptable! Rangi’s system of one to wear, one to wash and one spare was too much of a hassle to maintain. She wasn’t about to argue with the woman, especially as she was the one washing her clothes. Auntie Mui had even gone so far as to offer her coins to buy some new clothes. Rangi hadn’t accepted them but she had got the message about how serious the older woman was.</p><p>“Of course, I don’t have anything in your size in at the moment but I can certainly order them to come in on the next shipment for you. What are you after?” Yun asked as he reached below the counter to grab some rice paper, ink and small writing brush. He arranged them out in front of him and readied his brush. </p><p>“I need some plain cotton shirts and trousers, four sets of each. Maybe even five if you can manage it but don’t worry if not. Trousers in black please and as for the shirts I like them in red but black is also fine.” She stated in a very matter-of-fact tone, Yun writing down her order as she spoke. However upon finishing the list he regarded it with a look of great disappointment and clearly could not refrain from letting out a long sigh.</p><p>“These items are a bit boring don’t you think Rangi? There is no finery here! Tell you what, let me improve it a bit for you!” He said with renewed eagerness. Before she could stop him he started to write something extra on the end of her list. All she could do was roll her eyes and wait until he has finished. “There you go! One kimono made from the most luxurious red silk and embroidered with the purest gold thread!” He proudly lifted up the order to show that he had in fact added the very item he had described. Rangi felt the heat rise to her cheeks as a blush sweep across them. Before Yun could react she reached forward and snatched the paper right out of his hand. In an act of pure retribution she ripped off the section which contained the offending unwanted item. Yun’s eyes widen in total shook as she handed the newly shortened piece of paper back to him.</p><p>“No kimonos!” She said to him in a very low and very dangerous tone. However in response he let out a comically loud groan.</p><p>“Come on Rangi, you are no fun! Well if you insist on being so boring then the next shipment that comes in from out-of-town will have your clothes on it.” He grumbled but nevertheless put the paper safely in his pocket. As he did, the sound of someone entering the shop behind her drew his attention. He leaned to the side in order to see around her. Whoever it was caused a smile to grow on his lips, bigger than the one he was already wearing. “Speaking of coming in from out-of-town, look who the cat dragged in!” He called out to whoever had just arrived. Rangi turned to see who had caught his interest. She was greeted by a young man dressed in the loose yellow and orange robes of a monk. If his clothes were not a clue to his profession, his bald head was a dead giveaway! “How were the tea drinking snobs at Qinchao town?” Yun shouted out to him causing the young man to let out a sigh and frown deeply.</p><p>“I was only there so I could get the string fixed on my shamisen.” He replied and Rangi couldn’t help but wonder if there was some kind-of rivalry between the two towns. Before she could ponder it further, the monk turned to her and gave her a kind smile. “You must be Rangi, our esteemed Governess mentioned you would be coming. I must say the family resemblance is remarkable.” He said as he bowed to her with his palms pressed together in the way that only monks did. Thankfully from his lowered eye line he couldn’t see the scowl on Rangi’s face. She knew he didn’t mean any harm by his comment but that didn’t mean she didn’t receive any. Luckily by the time he straightened back up she had managed to recover. “My name is Jinpa, I’m the local monk here. If you have any needs of a spiritual nature then please feel free to consult me.” Rangi bowed back to him, he seemed a genuinely nice person if a little formal. She wondered if it was only because he was meeting someone new. Behind her she heard Yun scoff, causing both her and Jinpa to turn to him.</p><p>“If you have any problems with spirits creeping into your bedroom in the middle of the night, he’s the one to talk to!” He said with a mocking smile. Jinpa just rolled his eyes, it would seem from his expression he was used to such comments from Yun.</p><p>“For the last time when I say spiritual needs that’s not what I mean.” He responded but the look on Yun’s face showed he wasn’t going to give in so easily, especially as he had audience.</p><p>“So are you telling me that the locals don’t believe that spirits live deep within the forest?” He asked, his grin only growing. He clearly already knew the answer but however his question perked Rangi’s interest. The memories of her dream and the strange figure within it came to the forefront of her mind. </p><p>“There are spirits in the forest?” She asked, swiftly turning to Jinpa who responded with a certain nod. </p><p>“Yes, I believe so although I hadn’t been so blessed to see any myself. Nevertheless the forest is a very spiritual place. In such locations it is said that the border between our world and theirs is much thinner meaning that it is possible for them pass through.” He began to explain but before he could elaborate further Yun once again decided to intervene.</p><p>“All I know is it is a wasted opportunity sat right on our doorstep. Our hunters never venture in there for game and our lumbermen rarely use it for wood. For every tree they chopped down to build the defensive wall around town they planted a seed to replace it. It took them twice as long to finish it!” He said with a disapproving shake of his head. Rangi wasn’t surprised by his opinion, he was a man of business after all. Whilst she did understand the frustration of having such a wealth of resources left untapped, she found herself disagreeing with him. One should always honour the spirits for you never know when they may be listening and come to your aid. She knew from personal experience, not that she would ever admit that to anyone.</p><p>“That may be true but rather that than evoke their fury. Would you have us destroy it for a few measly coins?” Jinpa replied, crossing his arms. His tone was neutral but Rangi could sense the anger beneath his words.  Yun just raised his hands in front of him in a gesture of surrender.</p><p>“Of course not! I’m merely saying our little town could be so much more than what it is if only we could utilise some of the wealth that lies just beyond our gate. What do you think Rangi?” He asked unexpectedly turning to face her. At his question Jinpa also turned to her and Rangi suddenly felt very uncomfortable. Stood amid the two men she felt that she had somehow been appointed the judge of their debate. Now more than ever she felt caught between a rock and a hard place. She decided that the best course of action was to remain the neutral party, just in case she ended up picking the wrong side.</p><p>“I’m afraid I haven’t really been in Yokoya long enough to form an opinion either way.” Rangi replied with an indifferent shrug of her shoulders. Mentally she gave herself a pat on the back! In her eyes she had managed to settle the argument and she didn’t even need to draw her sword this time. However as she turned to Jinpa to see him looking at her with a raised eyebrow, she felt maybe she had been a little premature with her praise.</p><p>“You remain impartial and yet you bear the symbol of the spirit messenger on your sword. I think you have a deeper connection to their world than you let on.” He pointed at the fox charm as it dangled from the pommel of her katana. Instinctively she quickly twisted her body in an effect to hide it from him. She glared at him with eyes filled with fire! There was a deeply personal story to her fox charm and it wasn’t one she felt like telling especially to a total stranger. From the expression on Jinpa’s face it was clear that he regretted crossing a line that he wasn’t aware existed. Nevertheless Rangi was very uncomfortable with where the conversation maybe heading. “Forgive me Rangi, I didn’t mean to offend you.”  He said, bowing his head in remorse. She felt her features soften at the monk’s words. He wasn’t to know and yet Rangi knew she needed to leave before she said or did something she would regret later. In situations where she felt uncomfortable her emotion tended to overtake her rational thinking.</p><p>“It’s quite alright but I fear I have spent far too much time here already. I better go before the convoy leaves without me! It was a pleasure to meet you Jinpa.” She replied before turning to Yun to give him a hard look. “No kimonos!” She pointed at him to emphasise that she was serious. He returned her gesture by putting his hand over his heart. She would have thought he was being sincere if it wasn’t for the huge sly grin plastered over his face. Luckily for him she wasn’t in the mood to argue so instead she chose to make a speedy exit. As she left she briefly heard Yun make some comment to Jinpa about scaring off all the pretty women but she was soon too far out of earshot to hear the rest. Once she put enough distance between her and the shop she stopped for a moment to take a deep breath. All the talk of spirits had brought up memories she had long thought forgotten. However right now she needed to push them aside and focus. Rangi was solider above all else and she had a job to do.</p><p>~~~~</p><p>The road was just as winding as Rangi remembered it to be, only this time she was seeing it from the opposite direction. Her and Wong had taken up their positions in the front, both sets of eyes scanning the road ahead for trouble. So far the trip had been quiet, the only sound being the turning of the cart wheels and clicking of horse hooves on the road. The driver was a man from Yokoya who looked like he could fall asleep at any moment. Thankfully even in his drowsy state he was just about able to steer the cart. Not only that but it also meant that it was unlikely that he would be listening in on their conversations. Rangi was glad out of the three available options Wong was the one who choose to come along. He seemed the most level-headed and sensible of the bunch. She was however slightly annoyed that the other two had blown off coming as they had apparently already planned to play Pai Sho for the afternoon. As she walked on she found her gaze drifting over to the forest which stretched out not too far from the road, following it twisting path. Her mind wondering what secrets lay hidden within its tree filled depths.</p><p>“So how you settling in at Yokoya?” Wong asked, attempting to make polite convention to fill the silence of the road. All Rangi could do in response was groan at the question. If she was to count the number of times she had been asked that already she was very close to running out of fingers. Thankfully in response to her rather rude reply all Wong did was laugh. It was a deep sound that reminded her of the rumble of thunder. “Sorry I’m sure you are tired of that question by now.” He said and Rangi gave a stern nod as her only answer. Yet it seemed that Wong wasn’t going to give up a conversation quite so easily. “I see you have taken an interest in our great forest.” Rangi felt her cheeks redden being caught not playing attention on the job. She doubted Wong really cared but the solider in her felt ashamed. </p><p>“I met Jinpa whilst in Yun’s store. He said that spirits live in the forest and I can’t help wondering if that is true or not.” She replied and once again Wong let out a chuckle.</p><p>“No doubt you found yourself caught in the crossfire of one of their debates.” It would seem that the monk’s and shopkeeper’s different of opinions were well known in Yokoya. “Did he tell you about the legend of the guardian spirit that is said to protect the forest?” Wong asked, and if her interest in the forest couldn’t be perked further than mention of a guardian did just that. He now had her complete and undivided attention.</p><p>“No, I think in the heat of argument with Yun it must of slipped his mind.” She replied, shaking her head. A smile graced Wong’s lips and she watched as he straighten his back. He looked like a musician preparing to play his instrument or in this case tell his story.</p><p>“The locals say a terrible demon lives deep within the hidden heart of the forest. Any who venture into the sanctity of its home are met by its unbridled wrath. Its skin is as tough as steel and the colour of the moss that coats the ground between the trees. Its head is adorned with great horns that glow like molten metal. Those who have survived an encounter with the creature tell of staring at a face as white as snow and eyes that burn red in a haze of blood-soaked fury. It is said to tower over any man who has ever faced it, taller than a mountain. It cuts its prey to ribbons with ease using its golden claws which are as sharp as a katana’s edge.” He spoke like a true storyteller, so much so that Rangi wondered if he had ever actually been in the opera.</p><p>She felt a chill run down her spine as he spoke of the demon. As much as she tried to dismiss it as nothing more than a story, her thoughts drifted back to the dream she had on her first night in Yokoya. Whilst the figure she had seen had none of the features Wong described, they had been very tall. Even if that was the only connection she couldn’t shake the feeling something deeper was going on here. All the talk of spirits and demons, not to mention her strange dream all seemed to point in the same direction but where that was alluded her. It was like trying to illuminate a painting in the dark with only a candle. She was only seeing a small part of a much larger whole. She felt Wong’s eyes on her as he no doubt wanted to see her reaction to his tale. Rangi wasn’t about to let him think that he had rattled her so instead she turned to him with a raised eyebrow.</p><p>“Let me guess, you nor anyone else has seen this demon. The only man who has, enjoys the taste of sake a little too much!” She replied but all Wong did was shrug at her. </p><p>“That may be true but enough people believe it that they give the forest a wide berth.” He said, clearly taking no insult from her assumption that the guardian was little more than the illusions of the town drunkard. They continued onwards as a comfortable quiet settled between them. They didn’t make it far however before something on the road up ahead caught her attention. Laying across their path was a rather small fallen tree. Even from such a distance Rangi could see the base of it had been cut. The damage was too sharp and angular to have accrued naturally. Also at this particular point the forest was quite some distance from the trail. She could clearly see the lines in the mud where it had been dragged into position. She turned to Wong who was also looking ahead with a serious expression on his normally calm face. No doubt he had also saw the scene in front of them and come to the same conclusion. It was a trap but not a very good one! He turned to her and gave Rangi a silent nod which she returned, both of them knew what to do. She spun round to the driver who appeared none to wiser to the danger ahead.</p><p>“Hide in the cart quickly!” She whispered harshly to the man. For a moment he looked very confused and as if he was about to argue with her. However one look at Rangi’s face and his objections died in his throat.  He hastily twisted round in his seat and practically dived under the cover. With him safely out of harm’s way the two of them took up their positions. Wong moved beside the horse. Taking the reins so as to still steer the cart. Rangi moved to walk on the other side of the beast. They were close enough to present a united front with both their weapons fully on display. However if needed they could also separate should the situation call for it.</p><p>“So which direction do you think they will come from?” Wong whispered to her as she once again surveyed the scene that was rapidly getting closer.</p><p>“The front I think as that is the most obvious, just like their trap. Just kept one eye behind us just in case they are smarter than we give them credit for.” She replied under her breath as she widen her scan of the area. She spotted a little outcrop of boulders further up the road, not far from the fallen tree. It was the prefect hiding spot if you were aiming for the most glaringly blatant ambush in the history of the Fire Nation. Wong had clearly spotted it too as she heard him softly chuckle beside her.</p><p>“There cannot be that many of them hiding in such a tiny spot. I reckon there must be three or four, maybe five at a push. Surely if there was more people they would have got a bigger tree!” Even in his hushed tone of voice Rangi could still hear his amusement. She couldn’t share in delight however as she felt her heart rate quicken rate quicken slightly as it always did before battle. It may be a clear ambush constructed by idiots but it was still an ambush nonetheless. She would be happy when the dust settled and she was still standing. Finally they reached the log and Wong pulled the cart to a halt.</p><p>“Surrender your goods and you may leave with your lives!” A deep manly voice bellowed out to them. If Rangi needed confirmation of their hiding spot, the direction of the shout certainly did that. She turned to Wong with a solemn expression, for as of right now he was her brother-in-arms.</p><p>“I’ll handle them, just follow me lead. Do you have my back?” She asked and felt the weight lift from her shoulders when he nodded back. It was a small gesture that conveyed a bigger meaning. Knowing she had his support Rangi walked forward till she was just a few feet from the roadblock. Her hand came to rest on the handle of katana, ready to strike should the need arise.</p><p>“This cart and all its contents begin to the province of Yokoya. Under the laws of the Fire Lord Zoryu, you are to let us pass or you will face justice.” She called out, allowing them one chance to surrender peacefully. Bloodshed should never be the first choice but after her warning whatever the outcome, it would be on them. At her words four men stepped out from behind the boulder, just as Wong predicted. Judging from their appearance they were most definitely bandits, but the lowest kind! Their clothes were little more than that of peasants with small patches of leather hide sown in to act as extra protection. She was surprised however to see that they were decently well-armed with three of them welding tachi swords, already drawn and ready. Whilst not quite as elegant as her katana, they were still impressive weapon in the right hands. The metal of blades gleamed in the sun so brightly that to Rangi’s trained eye they looked almost brand new. The fourth man was equipped with a bow and as the group walked into the centre of the road he slowly notched an arrow. He drew his bow and aimed it straight at her. It seemed that they intended to hold her to ransom at the tip of an arrow. She didn’t flinch however for this wasn’t the first time she had faced down an archer. All she had to do was keep them talking.</p><p>“Your Fire Lord can stick his laws where the sun doesn’t shine! We are taking that iron and I rather not have to kill someone with such a pretty face to do it!” One of the men shouted at her as he stepped forward. She felt her fists clench at his comment but she remained focused, if they wanted to underestimate her she would happily let them. It would only hasten their downfall! If she had to guess the man who had moved forward was their leader. He had a long scar running down the left side of his face, the end of which disappeared into his rugged brown beard. He was clearly the oldest one of their little gang, which was probably the only reason they listened to him. No doubt if he died first the others would flee.</p><p>“If I surrender the cart to you, how do I know you will not just kill us the moment our backs are turned?” Rangi called out to the man, she could almost feel the confusion coming off of Wong behind her but he would just have to trust her. The leader grinned at her, clearly he thought that he had stumbled upon an easy target.</p><p>“You don’t but if you continue to stand there in the way I will have no choice but to put you down.” She had to stop herself from laughing outright at the man. It seemed he was completely unaware of just how outmatched he truly was. Her eyes drifted over to the bowman and by the pained looked on his face her plan was working perfectly. His arm was starting to shake slightly from the strain of having to hold the bow at full draw for so long. Rangi may not be must of archer but she had been taught to use a bow as part of her army training. She knew how long a man could hold an arrow before the strength in their arms began to diminish and the man was way pass that point by now. Even a member of the Yuyan Archers can’t keep a bow fully drawn and have the arrow fly at full speed or be on target. She knew now was her moment to strike! In one fluid motion she drew her katana but didn’t raise it, instead resting by her side. Let them think that she wasn’t ready!</p><p>“I think I’ll take my chances!” She replied as she stared down the leader to show she wasn’t going anywhere. He merely struggled and turned to the bowman.</p><p>“Kill her!” He said to him, so dismissively he might as well be asking him to kill an rat on the street. Rangi could see the relief on the man’s face but she knew the damage had already been done. He released the arrow but instead of a clean straight shot, it sailed through the air at an almost leisurely pace. Rangi watched it fly towards her, her eyes never leaving it. Just as she predicted it was slower than it should be and off-target. If she did nothing at all it would most likely hit her in the arm, a non-lethal hit. She could simple dodge out the way but she could not risk it hitting Wong or the horse so instead she decided to take a more direct approach. The moment the arrow was in range, in a sweeping movement as quick as lightning she struck it in mid-air. Whilst it wasn’t enough to the break the shaft, the blow knocked it off course, causing it to clatter harmlessly to the ground beside her. A stunned silence gripped the bandits, they all had a look of total disbelieve on their faces. Rangi watched as the leader’s face began to glow red with fury, clearly extremely cross that his easy target had just outsmarted him.</p><p>“Well, don’t just stand there! I said kill her!” He roared as he pointed frantically at her. Despite what they had just witnessed they were clearly in that moment, they were more afraid of him than her. The two swordsmen rushed toward her, leaping over the fallen tree in the process. Rangi raised her katana to meet the first man who was almost upon her. She readied her stance, holding firm so as to give him the impression that she intended to block his attack. However as he lunged forward at the last possible moment, just before their swords clashed she dodged out of the way. Twisting in such a way that would make a dancer jealous, she watched the panic grow on his face. He tumbled clumsily pass her, unable to stop his momentum. Now off balance and exposed Rang slashed her katana across his back. Her blade cut deeply thought his flesh, severing his spine and leaving a grim spray of blood in the air. His scream of agony faded almost as soon as he made it. The man was dead before his body even hit the ground.</p><p>Now she had to face the second man as by the sound of his footsteps he was nearly upon her. However as she spun round she was greeted by a pained look of horror on his face. It didn’t take her long to see what had caused it. Buried deep in the bandit’s gut was the blade of Wong’s naginata. Rangi guessed that when the men charged at her Wong had also moved forward to meet them, using the weapon’s length to compensate for the distance he didn’t have time to cross. The man’s focus on her must have blinded him to the incoming attack. Not only that but his speed helped bury the weapon deeper into himself. She watched as his eyes rolled back into his skull and with a sickening squelch his own weight pulled his body free from the blade as he feel back dead. She turned to the two remaining bandits who looked on, frozen in pure terror. Their eyes met for a moment before they rapidly spun round and bolted like frightened rabbits. Rangi was about to give chase but Wong’s hand on her shoulder caused her to stop.</p><p>“We need to stay with the cart.” He said and she quickly shrugged him off but the delay had given the bandits too much of a head start to be caught. She scoffed at him partly because she hated leaving business unfinished but also because she knew he was right. Whilst the living may have escaped her, the dead could still provide some answers to her questions. Walking over to the man she had killed, she picked up his sword which lay not far from him. As she inspected it closer, her suspicions were confirmed. The weapon was new, it had barely been used if at all. Not only that, it also looked to be extremely well-made which meant it hadn’t been cheap. Yet the man’s lack of proper armour was just as confused. It seemed to her that he must have come into a considerable amount of wealth and spent it all getting a new tachi, in fact all the men had. Which begged the question of where such lowly bandits had got so much money from. Deciding to dig a little further she checked his belt and soon found his coin pouch. The jangle of metal as she removed it alluded to the fact it wasn’t empty. Standing up she poured it contents into the palm of her hand. A few coins tumbled out and Rangi was surprised to see that they bore the green colouration of Earth Kingdom currency.</p><p>“Found anything interesting?” Wong asked behind her, breaking her out of her concentration. She turned and looked behind him briefly to see the driver climbing out of the cart. Clearly Wong had been helping the poor man during her investigations.</p><p>“I have, his tachi is new! So much so I go as far to say it is not long out of the forge. Not to mention those kind of blades are not cheap. He also had a pouch of Earth Kingdom coins on him.” She said as she lift her hand up to show him the money that rested there to illustrate her point. However in response all Wong did was shrug his shoulders.</p><p>“Most bandits like to waste their money on fancy weapons they have no idea how to use. As for the coins, we are not far from the Earth Kingdom. I mean Yokoya pretty much sits on the border.” He replied and whilst what he said was correct, he was missing one crucial detail.</p><p>“That may be true but we are a long way from Ba Sing Se.” Wong raised his eyebrow in confusion at her comment.</p><p>“What makes you say that?” He asked so Rangi held up one of the coins so he could get a closer look at it.</p><p>“Earth Kingdom coins are stamped with the symbol of the province where they were minted. These ones have the symbol on them for Ba Sing Se. That is very long way for a coin to travel.” She replied as she pointed to the small mark on the coin to show him what she was talking about. Something here wasn’t adding up! There was obviously more going on in Yokoya that she first thought. A strange darkness lurked just below the surface and the more she uncovered the deeper it seemed to go. Whatever it was she was going to find out, no matter what it took.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Who knew doing archery in real life would come in handy for writing fanfiction! I can tell you that holding a bow at full draw for anything more than ten seconds is super hard!! ^^; I remember trying it once and I won't lie the arrow sailed straight into the ground!</p><p>Also in doing research for this story I now know the difference a katana and a tachi so that is pretty cool! ^^</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Trust of a Stranger</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>New revelations cause the distance between mother and daughter to grow!</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Rangi turned the Earth Kingdom coin over between her fingers absent-mindedly as she was distracted thinking about other things. She was currently on guard duty, which meant she was stuck in the gatehouse for the foreseeable future. A better description, in her opinion, would be glorified doorwoman, as her main job seemed to be winching open the huge wooden gate into town for anyone who wanted to come in or out. It wasn’t the first time she’d had to guard a position before but it was by far the most boring! Whilst all the people wanting to use the gate were very polite, they were very few and far between. She was cross that she had somehow let her three companions talk her into it whilst they had chosen to go out on patrol instead. She had a feeling they already knew how dull the job was so had chosen to dodge that arrow and let her take the hit instead. At least all the extra free time had given her the chance to think over her discovery from the day before.</p><p>If it had been just a single Ba Sing Se coin in the man’s possession then she would have dismissed it as a lucky, if somewhat unusual, coincidence. However that wasn’t the case - it was all of them! Not only that, but the second man also had a purse full of the same coins. Rangi’s head was filled with questions without a single answer to resolve them and it was driving her mad. Had the bandits come all the way from Ba Sing Se? If that was the case, what had brought them here? Was it the iron that they were after and if so, why? Surely there were other mining towns just like theirs in the Earth Kingdom? Rangi let out a frustrated groan as she threw her head back to rest it against the wooden wall behind her. She was going round in circles and getting no closer to figuring out the mystery. She wondered if perhaps she was overthinking it and maybe she should have taken Wong’s approach. He had kindly offered to take the rest of the coins and deliver them to the proper authorities. She would have believed him if he hadn’t returned that same night with a large bottle of sake to share with Kirima. She knew she should be mad at him, but he did earn it and she had little use for the money. </p><p>The sound of approaching footsteps drew her attention. She turned her head, expecting to see another townsperson. However, she was more than a little surprised to see her mother walking towards her. Rangi felt her spine straighten purely by instinct at seeing the woman whilst she was on duty. Her feelings were still somewhat conflicted by Hei-Ran’s presence, so she decided to hide behind the part of her personality she knew best to confront her with. That was solider Rangi, a girl so filled with honour and duty that little else mattered.</p><p>“Good morning Rangi.” Hei-Ran said as she came to a stop just a few feet in front of her. Her expression nor voice gave no clue as to the reason for her surprise visit. However Rangi knew her mother well enough to know she rarely made social calls for the pleasure of seeking company. She decided to play along, for surely Hei-Ran would get to the point sooner rather than later. </p><p>“Good morning to you too, Mother.” She replied, ending her greeting with a quick bow of her head.</p><p>“I’m sorry I have been absent for most of your stay so far. Some of the mining equipment has been malfunctioning lately and I have had to organise its repair before it started to affect production.” Hei-Ran explained, but if Rangi was being honest with herself she really didn’t care to hear it. It was only further proof that she had made a life for herself here, trading the honour of the blade for pulling iron ore from the dirt.</p><p>“I understand, Mother. You have your duties to attend to and I have mine.” she responded and whilst she didn’t intend to sound bitter, she couldn’t keep from reflecting it in her voice. Her mother narrowed her eyes at her but made no comment on it. Rangi could almost see her mentally biting her tongue and instead choosing to press on.</p><p>“I wanted to congratulate you on dealing with the bandit attack the other day. I spoke with the driver personally, he was very grateful that you and Wong were there.” she stated and gave a small bow to show the sincerity of her words. Rangi had to stop herself from falling backwards in shock. Her mother was not the kind of woman who gave praise easily. The last time she received any from her was when she graduated from the junior corps and that was a very long time ago. As much as she really hated to admit it, some small part of her inner self longed to hear her mother’s approval. In a desperate attempt to hide her surprise and discomfort she rested her hand on the handle of her katana, running her fingers over the silk threads in an attempt to give herself something to focus on and relieve some of the excess energy she seemed to have built up. However one look at Hei-Ran’s stern face and all efforts at calm came crashing down. So once again Rangi slipped back into the soldier’s mindset, finding comfort in unbending duty.</p><p>“Thank you, but I was only doing my job.” She replied and whilst her mother looked mildly disappointed by her stiff response, she appeared to accept it. As Rangi looked at Hei-Ran, a thought blossomed in her mind and pushed itself to the forefront. Maybe she would be able to shed some light on the mystery of the coins. It wouldn’t hurt to ask seeing as she knew the local area better than Rangi did. She found herself hoping that she would say that finding such coins was a normal thing. At least that way she would be able to get the thought of them out of her head and move on.</p><p>“I did find something peculiar amongst the possessions of the two slain men. Their purses were both filled with Earth Kingdom currency.” She held out her hand to show her mother the coin resting in the palm of her hand. Hei-Ran slowly reached forward and gently picked it up. She held it up to her eye-line between her index finger and thumb, twisting her body slightly so the coin better caught the light. Rangi watched the puzzlement on her face as she examined it, up until the moment she clearly spotted the Ba Sing Se marking. It was only brief, but she saw a flash of complete fear in her eyes. It was something she so rarely saw on her mother’s face that she almost didn’t recognise it, but it was there. However she tried to quickly recover and hide it under a serious expression. She turned to Rangi so sharply that for a moment she feared Hei-Ran had snapped her own neck!</p><p>“Are you sure that these came from the bandits?” She asked, but try as she might she couldn’t hide the dread in her voice. Rangi was rather taken aback and confused at her mother’s sudden mood change.</p><p>“Yes, I’m sure! I checked both men’s belts and both had the same currency in their coin purses. You can ask Wong if you don’t believe me!” she replied, more than a little offended that her mother didn’t trust her to do her job correctly. Seemingly satisfied with her answer, her mother handed the coin back to her.</p><p>“I see,” was all she said, her quick and neutral response a clear cover to try to hide the turmoil Rangi could see in her eyes. Hei-Ran swiftly turned away from her and began to walk away, however she only managed a few steps before Rangi’s anger took over her.</p><p>“Seriously?!” She shouted, her unbridled fury perfectly captured in a single word. Hei-Ran turned round just as Rangi stormed up to her. It was only a short distance between them but her rage carried her across it in record time! “I saw that look on your face just now! Something about those coins coming from Ba Sing Se has you not only scared, but terrified! You know something about what is going on here and you’re not telling me!” Rangi pointed an accusing finger at her mother, she was trying desperately to keep her ferocity in check. After all, if their previous argument behind closed doors had caused a stir in town, there was no telling what an open-air one would do. However she was also very much aware that for her part, it was a losing battle. Hei-Ran let out a frustrated sigh and pinched the bridge of her nose. To Rangi, her mother looked more cross with herself that she had been unable to keep her emotions under control than anything else.</p><p>“It’s complicated!” She said under her breath, narrowing her eyes and clearly hoping to end the conversation before she was forced to reveal any more. However all it did was push Rangi closer to the verge of losing it! Complicated didn’t even begin to scratch the surface of what was going on, not only in Yokoya but also between the two of them. </p><p>She was about to question her mother further, but a noise coming from beyond the gate drew her attention. She saw her mother’s expression change, meaning she had also heard it too. It sounded like the footfall of someone running and distant cries for help. Rangi gave her mother one last look that she hoped conveyed the message that despite the interruption, their conversation was far from over. She then spun round and rushed over to the small gatehouse. There was a small slit cut into the wall that allowed her to look out and see who was approaching. She saw an older man running towards the gate as fast as his legs could carry him, although it was clear to see from the way he was stumbling that he was exhausted. Even from such a distance, Rangi could see he was out of breath and dangerously close to collapsing. To make matters worse, she could also see that he was wounded. He was gripping his left bicep with his right hand trying to stop the bleeding. But it was clear from his blood stained sleeve, turning the light brown fabric to red, that his attempts had been far from successful. She sensed her mother come up behind her, obviously also wanting to see what was happening beyond the wall but waiting for her to move. Rangi stepped aside to let her pass before quickly heading to the gate winch. She gritted her teeth against the strain in her arms as she worked them hard to get the entrance open as swiftly as possible. By the time she had managed to do so, the injured man was making his way through the gateway with Hei-Ran waiting on the other side to meet him. He stumbled in and would have collapsed onto the ground if her mother hadn’t been there to catch him. Rangi decided to stand back as it seemed to her that Hei-Ran was best suited to handle the situation.</p><p>“What happened, Haruto?” Hei-Ran asked as she did her best to support the man. He took a moment to catch his breath. Rangi could see the pain he was in written all over his face and yet she could tell he was desperate to tell Hei-Ran his story. He seemed to completely understand her need for urgency.</p><p>“Bandits…attacked the cart…I escaped…one shot an arrow…hit my arm…ran here…saw them flee…into the forest!” the man she now knew as Haruto, managed to blurt out between deep gasps for air. She hissed under her breath but Rangi couldn’t tell at whom Hei-Ran’s anger was directed.</p><p>“What were you thinking hauling goods along the road without an escort? You know how dangerous it is at the moment!” she asked, but despite her harsh words, Rangi could hear a sense of genuine concern beneath them. She could both hear and see that Hei-Ran was cross at him but not for failing to protect his goods but for risking his life. At her words, the man lowered his head as regret filled his eyes.</p><p>“I’m sorry Governess, I wanted to get my wares to Yokoya before nightfall.” He replied, looking like a student who had failed their teacher. Hei-Ran shook her head at the man, clearly disappointed but not angry.</p><p>“That was foolish of you, but praise the spirits that you are safe at least.” She looked up for a moment and upon seeing another townsperson, she called the man over. At her shout, he immediately dropped the wood he was carrying to rush over. Rangi could tell from witnessing the interactions between her mother and the townsfolk play out before her that they deeply respected her. She watched as Hei-Ran carefully transferred the injured man from her grip onto the newcomer. “Take him straight to Atuat so he may be treated.” She ordered and the man nodded instantly, without so much as a word of disagreement. If Rangi needed any more proof of the esteem Hei-Ran commanded in Yokoya, it was right in front of her. Finally freed from having to hold up Haruto, she turned her attention to the small crowd of concerned citizens who had started to gather at the sound of the commotion. With her mother distracted Rangi saw an opportunity to do a little digging of her own. She raced off after the two men, which didn’t take long as they hadn’t made it far along the road. She came to a stop in front of them, forcing them to a halt.</p><p>“Can you describe the bandits that attacked you?” She asked, getting straight to the point. She may be after information but she didn’t want to delay Haruto’s treatment for his wounds any more than necessary. He looked up at her with confusion in response to her seemingly random question. Thankfully for Rangi he must have decided it was probably best to just answer them so she would get out of the way.</p><p>“There were two men, one of them had a bow but I didn’t get a good look at him. The other man was an older bearded fellow with a long scar running down the left side of his face.” His description caused Rangi to curse out loud! He had perfectly described the two men that she and Wong had fought the other day. The same two men that she had been forced to let go. To strike again so soon after their first failed ambush meant that their desperation or stupidity knew no bounds.</p><p>“How far away from town did they attack you?” Rangi did little to hide the annoyance in her voice, she just hoped he didn’t think it was aimed at him.</p><p>“I don’t know but it couldn’t have been that far. I must have been running for ten minutes or so to get here.” he replied and she paused a moment to do the calculations in her head. She was well-rested and uninjured so she could easily make the distance in half the time. Not only that but if they were carrying the stolen goods, then they would be slowed even further. There was every chance she could catch them and deliver the justice they had managed to escape. She took a step to the side in order to let the two men pass. She had everything she needed! They gave her an odd look as they continued on their way whilst she turned back and headed to the gate. Her mother seemed to have managed to disperse most of the crowd in the time Rangi had been talking. However she paid little attention to her as she hurried past, her mind fixated on the task ahead. She was briefly aware of Hei-Ran calling her name but chose to ignore it as she passed through the open gateway. Just as she was about to start running she heard her name being shouted again but this time it was sharper and more commanding. She hissed under her breath as she turned around to see her mother storming towards her with a face that would make thunder jealous.</p><p>“Where in the name of the spirits do you think you are going?” She asked, the caring town governess replaced by the ferocious commanding officer. Rangi gritted her teeth to hold back the string of curses that threatened to spill from her lips. She may have got away with it in front of the townsfolk but her mother was a whole different story.</p><p>“I’m going after those bandits! The injured man told me they are not far away. If I leave now I can catch them. They are the same men who escaped yesterday. I will not let them evade justice a second time!” Rangi said, not thinking she owed her any more of an explanation than that. But one look at her mother’s face and it was painfully clear that wasn’t to be the case.</p><p>“So you were just going run off on your own without backup? I thought you were better trained than that! You will wait for one of the Flying Opera Company to arrive to assist you. Until then you are to stay put.” Hei-Ran’s words sounded like the commands of an officer of the Fire Nation army. However it seemed to Rangi that she had forgotten one very important thing. They were currently not in the Fire Nation army! She stormed up to her mother, her fist clenched and fire burned in her eyes. She stopped with their bodies mere inches apart. Hei-Ran didn’t flinch or back down and neither did Rangi. Her resolve was as strong as the steel of her katana.</p><p>“I am more than capable of taking on two common bandits. The others are out on patrol and we have no idea when they will be back. By the time they return, it will already be too late.” Rangi paused a moment in her bitter tirade as she narrowed her eyes at her mother. “You are not my commanding officer anymore! I am going!” She growled at her through gritted teeth. At Hei-Ran’s silence she turned and once again began to walk away. However just like before she found herself being pulled to a standstill but this time it wasn’t with words. She felt the tight grip of a hand on her wrist that stopped her in her tracks. Rangi twisted slightly to look back to see her mother had reached forward to grab her and was forcibly holding her back.</p><p>“That may be true, but I am still your mother and I am ordering you to stay.” she barked at Rangi in a voice that was better suited to commanding an army rather than a single solider. Yet as the severe words left her mouth, something in Hei-Ran’s eyes changed. If she didn’t know any better, she would say it was fear. As much as Rangi tried to convince herself that there no way that could be true, she couldn’t deny what was right in front of her. She felt her mother’s grip on her wrist soften slightly but still remain in place. "I am asking you to trust me.” She said in little more than a whisper. She looked at Rangi with eyes filled with such intense desperation that she almost felt herself crumble under their gaze and yet she didn’t. Instead the burning rage inside her ignited a thousand times over! How dare her mother ask that of her? After all the secrets that she had kept from her for so many years and still continued to keep? Upon finding the reports hidden in her desk Rangi had been conflicted on how to feel about her mother, but with seven simple words she had made the decision painfully clear. Unable to hold back the fury that threatened to explode within her, she clenched her fists and locked eyes with Hei-Ran’s.</p><p>“How can I trust you? I barely even know you!” she roared at her and violently pulled her wrist free from her mother’s grasp. She turned around and sprinted away, her anger carrying her just as much as her legs. She kept running even as she heard Hei-Ran frantically screaming out her name behind. She pushed all thoughts of them to the back of her mind. Trying to focus solely on the action of putting one foot in front of the other. The distance between her and her mother never felt so great and it was only growing with each step.</p><p>Try as she might, Rangi wasn’t good at hiding her emotions, wearing them on her sleeve no matter how raw or painful they may be. Never had that felt more true as she did nothing against the burning of her eyes as bitter tears ran down her cheeks.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I need make a few apologies in regards to my fiction!</p><p>Firstly I have a bad habit off rereading my fics in order to spot any small details and mistakes I want to change or correct! I do have it proof read multiple times but somethings little things get missed. I’m not sure if every time I do this if people who had it bookmarked get notified so if you do I’m really sorry for that.</p><p>Secondly I have had to do a major retcon! Back in chapter one I put in the notes that I planned on using the hybrid animals found in the Avatar universe but I have unfortunately had to change that. Due to some upcoming story elements there are references to real life animal and their significance in Japanese culture in which the fiction is. Which is a fancy way of saying I need them to be “actual” animals! I’m sorry for the confusion this may cause! Trust me it hurt me way more than you guys as I really enjoyed reading thought the fauna page of the Avatar wiki!</p><p>Finally I know people are very anxious for a certain tall lady to turn up who has not done so yet. This is very much a slow burn fiction and I know the wait has been long but I promise you she is coming!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Dark Within, Corrupt Without</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Rangi heads into the forest to be met with an unwelcome surprise!</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Trigger Warning: Blood, Violence, Gore &amp; Death</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It didn’t take Rangi long to find the site of the attack. The abandoned cart acted as the perfect marker for the location. The horse was missing, so she assumed it had fled. As she approached the wagon, Rangi took a deep breath to centre herself. What had happened at the gate needed to be pushed aside so she could concentrate on the task ahead. That was to be a problem for the future, once she was back in town after justice had been delivered. Her mother would see how wrong she was for ever doubting her once she returned victorious. With that thought firmly planted in her mind, she decided to start her hunt by first inspecting the cart.</p><p>Peering inside it, Rangi saw that everything within it had been ransacked. Containers of cloth, leather, bamboo and food lay torn apart and their contents strewn across the inside of the wagon. It was clear that the bandits had ripped them apart to find any items of value. The lack of a small coin chest amongst the mess told Rangi that they had at the very least made off with the driver’s money, not to mention whatever else of worth they had managed to get their hands on. From the amount left behind it was clear that they only took what they could carry. She wondered if they planned on coming back for the rest but she wasn’t about to wait around to find out. Taking a step away from the cart she cast her gaze downwards. It only took her a moment of studying the ground to spot the two sets of footprints. They were pressed deep into the mud making them as easy to see as a canary on a polar ice field. Even a child would know to cover their trail upon leaving the scene of the crime. Not that she was complaining, as it would make her job of tracking them so much easier. The tracks led off the road and down the embankment into the forest below; Rangi remembered the injured man saying that he had seen them flee in that direction. She followed the footprints with her eyes to where they disappeared out of sight amongst the trees. Her gaze continued upwards to the canopy where she saw a small but noticeable plume of smoke coming from some distance away. Rangi had to roll her eyes at the incompetence of these men. Not only had they left her clear tracks to follow but they had also given away their exact location. She almost felt sorry for them, for they had no idea what was coming for them! Carefully she made her way down the steep ridge until she stood at the threshold of the forest.</p><p>The trees stood so tall and proud that to Rangi they looked like soldiers lined up at the front of a battlement, guarding whatever lay beyond them. She had a strange and uneasy feeling deep within her gut telling her to turn back. She quickly shook her head to try and clear her thoughts. Surely all Jinpa’s and Wong’s stories of spirits had just put her on edge, at the end of the day they were nothing but tales. Yet even as Rangi tried to convince herself of that, in her heart of hearts she knew it wasn’t true. Her hand reached down subconsciously to grip the fox charm as it dangled from her sword. Nevertheless, how could she call herself a soldier of the Fire Nation if she let uncertainty stop her from doing her job? She took a deep breath as she screwed her courage to the sticking point. Slowly she took the few steps forward to the tree line, crossing the border into the unknown. She braced herself, but nothing happened except a small gust of wind blew against her back and rustled the leaves above her. It would seem the stories were little more than that. She almost chuckled at how ridiculous she was being but instead chose to refocus her mind on the task ahead and remind herself that those bandits were not going to bring themselves to justice. </p><p>She set off, weaving her way through the trees like a mountain cat on the hunt. Her footsteps were fast but quiet, after all she didn’t want to prematurely alert her prey. Sure enough, roughly twenty minutes in she heard the faint sound of a crackling fire up ahead. Instinctively she turned and pressed her back against a nearby tree to hide herself from view. Little by little, she drew her katana as she readied herself to move in. Keeping low to the ground, she carefully pressed onwards. However, as Rangi slowly got closer, she got the feeling that something was wrong. Although she could hear the campfire, she couldn’t hear anything else. There were no sounds of movement or talking coming from that direction. Surely the two men couldn’t have left camp already? They wouldn’t have been back there for very long. She wondered if they were sleeping, but it seemed too early in the afternoon for that. Her confusion heightened her caution. Rangi edged ever closer, snaking her way through the undergrowth using it as cover. Finally she was near enough to see one of the tents between the trees, but once again something didn’t feel right. The tent looked to be pitched at a strange angle, so much so that she could clearly see the bamboo of the support poles. She furrowed her brow in bewilderment and the unease she felt at the edge of the forest crept back into her gut. She took the final step through the vegetation into the small clearing of the campsite and with it saw the reason for her concerns.</p><p>The tent looked wrong because it wasn’t pitched at all. It was a crumpled mess, the fabric torn to pieces and the poles snapped in multiple places. It looked more like the skeleton of an animal than anything else. Her eyes widened in shock and disbelief as she walked further into the clearing, her sword remaining at the ready. It wasn’t just the tent that was destroyed, it was the whole camp! Supplies lay strewn across the ground as if someone had violently ripped them apart. She couldn’t see a single thing among them that wasn’t broken. She caught sight of the second tent which was wrecked in much the same way as the first, the torn cloth flapping in the gentle breeze like a discarded banner. Rangi walked over to it to get a closer look at the damage. Crouching down beside it, she ran her fingers over the material. It was ripped along three parallel lines that appeared to be claw marks. However the cuts were too clean to be caused by an animal, not only that but the space between each one was too big. Even a large predator like a bear or mountain lion couldn’t cause such damage. As she looked around she saw the same deep lines scratched into the dirt of the campsite. Whatever had done this wasn’t just large, it was huge!</p><p>Standing up, she then walked over to the fire. Somehow it seemed to have been spared the carnage that engulfed the rest of the camp. It was beginning to die down slightly from the lack of fresh fuel. There were only a few large sticks poking out of the flames that were not entirely burned out. Next to the fire was the fresh carcass of a female Sika deer. The small puncture wound on its neck was a clear sign it had been killed by an arrow and not by whatever had attacked the camp. Rangi guessed the bandits had hunted it with the intent to have it for dinner. She shook her head in disgust, slaying such a sacred animal was sacrilege! It seemed there was no level too low for these bandits to sink to. It was strange however, that if the camp had been attacked by a beast as the damage suggested, then why hadn’t it taken the meat? Surely no wild animal would pass up the chance of an easy meal?  She was also still faced with the unanswered question of where the bandits were. But before Rangi could ponder this further, she noticed something out of the corner of her eye and suddenly got the sinking feeling that she was about to find out.</p><p>Stretched out in front of her, the ground was soaked with pools of blood. She could tell from the amount before her that whoever or whatever it belonged to must have suffered a serious injury. Stepping carefully closer towards the scene, she saw that the blood stains trailed off away from the camp and disappeared into the undergrowth. Every fibre of her body told her to run in the opposite direction and never look back, yet she kept moving slowly forward, her need for closure overpowering her sense of restraint. With her katana at the ready, she pushed her way through the shrubs and what greeted her on the other side made her blood run cold. She had found the two men and part of her wished she hadn’t. The all too familiar smell of iron hung so thick in the air that it burned her nostrils. Their maimed bodies laid face down in the moss, stained red with their own blood. They had suffered the same destructive fate as their camp, for they too had been torn to pieces. Their torsos bore the same deep cuts that had been slashed through the cloth of the tents. But this wasn’t fabric that had been torn but flesh, bone and muscle. Adding to the grim scene was the fact that one man was missing an arm and the other a leg, both of which lay not far from their bodies. As Rangi cast her eyes over the extent of the injuries and damage inflicted, it was clear that no blade could have done it. The limbs hadn’t been cut off but ripped! From the way that the corpses lay and their distance from the camp, it was obvious that they had tried to flee but could not escape. Whatever had chased them had easily caught them and had shown no mercy. Rangi could feel the bile rise in her throat but fought to keep it down. As a soldier she was no stranger to the horrors that came at the aftermath of a battle. She had seen fields full of fallen warriors laying atop blood-soaked soil, but she had never seen carnage like this before. Whatever had brutally killed those men was neither man nor beast and she wasn’t about to wait around to find out what it was!</p><p>Rangi quickly turned away from the gruesome display, trying and failing to cleanse her mind of what she had just witnessed. She attempted to take some small comfort from the fact that the bandits had met justice, but even she knew that no one deserved such a cruel fate. All that remained now was to return to Yokoya and report what had transpired. However Rangi doubted anyone would believe her if she told them what she had found. More than likely she would be told that she was crazy just like last time. As she walked back through the wreckage, she spotted a small chest nestled within the remains of one of the tents. It seemed to have thankfully been spared the destruction that had wrecked everything else. At the very least she could return the man’s money to him. Sheathing her katana she carefully bent down and picked it up.</p><p>“The greed of humans knows no end.” a deep voice growled behind her. Dropping the chest she spun round, drawing her sword to face the threat. She heard the wooden container hit the ground with a clatter as the coins spilled out of it like the scales of a fish. In front of her, stood between the trees at the edge of the camp, was what looked to be a wolf but at the same time wasn’t. It was at least twice the size of any grizzly bear, far too large for any creature found in nature. The claws on its front paws stuck out and curved downwards like horrendous sharp hooks. Its back was lined with long bony spikes, almost like its spine had been pulled free of its skin. Sword-like fangs ran along its entire muzzle like they were too large to be contained within its mouth. Despite all its abnormal features, they were not the most disturbing thing about the creature. Its whole body looked as if it was made from congealed tar or thick black ink. It was as if someone had pulled a dark shadow from the ground and given it life. It was clear that the monstrosity before her was not a beast of nature, which could only mean one thing. It was a spirit, but to Rangi it looked somehow twisted and corrupted.</p><p>She raised her katana to attack, but made no move to do so while there was still a chance to reason with it. It watched her with unblinking, glowing red eyes and let out a low, dangerous growl.</p><p>“You dare draw your blade at me when you are the one to come into our home? You killed our sacred animals and cut down our sacred trees without offerings.” it snarled at her as it took a slow and menacing step towards her. As it did, the world around Rangi seemed to grow darker, like the wolf spirit’s mere presence was draining the light from the surroundings. She could feel the cold fear creeping down her spine but she struggled against it as her shaking hands gripped her katana tighter. She had never faced anything like this before. No amount of training or drills could prepare her for this. She couldn’t even process the fact that she was face to face with an actual spirit, instead all she could focus on was survival!</p><p>“My name is Rangi and I meant you no harm by coming here.” she replied, trying desperately to keep her voice steady, but even to her own ears Rangi knew she had failed.</p><p>“Yet here you are!” it growled at her, each word building in volume as the creature’s anger seemed to grow. She fought to remain composed, to try to remain the battle-hardened soldier that she knew she was. Rangi didn’t want to fight such a beast, but if she couldn’t reason with it then she may have no choice in the matter.</p><p>“I was chasing the bandits who attacked a cart from Yokoya. I only wanted to bring them to justice for their crimes.” she said, praying that the spirit would find the truth in her words. In response it let out a thundering roar and with it Rangi felt her hopes fade. The air around her suddenly felt colder, but she didn’t know if it was her own dread or the spirit’s wrath that caused it. It seemed that peace was no longer an option.</p><p>“Your lies cannot save you, for the only justice here is mine!” it bellowed, with such force that it shook the branches of the surrounding trees. Rangi watched in horror as the beast took a couple of steps before leaping into the air straight towards her, claws and fangs first. She knew she had to move and fast! As with the bandits, she held her ground until the last possible moment. Just as its paws were about to crush her she twisted out of the way, its sharp claws striking the ground where she had stood.</p><p>Rangi raised her katana ready to counter, but she was taken by surprise at the creature’s speed and agility. Using the momentum from its failed pounce, it dug its front feet into the ground and using them as an axis, pivoted its whole body around them. She had no time to react as the wolf’s heavy tail slammed into her side. The sheer force of the blow knocked Rangi off her feet and sent her flying through the air like a rag doll. She crashed into one of the tents, her vision filled momentarily with a spinning vortex of bamboo and cloth. It cleared for only a split second before she landed heavily onto the ground with the right side of her face taking most of the impact. The heavy fall not only knocked the air out of her lungs but also the sword out of her hand and she listened in horror as she heard it clatter somewhere behind her. Dazed from the blow, she tried desperately to shake her head in an effort to clear it.</p><p>Quickly realising that she needed to move, Rangi tried to roll onto her front to at least get out of the way, but it was already too late. Her view of the trees above her became filled with the snout of the wolf. It pressed its front left paw onto Rangi’s chest, pinning her in place under its enormous weight. She heard the sinister crunch of the metal plates that made up her armour as its claws dug into them. She gritted her teeth against the crushing pressure not wanting to give the beast the pleasure of hearing her cry out. She met its gaze as it stared down at her, in its eyes she could see its glee at her helplessness. The wolf raised its head and opened its mouth to bare its fangs and it was painfully clear to Rangi that it intended to end her with one single devastating bite if she didn’t act fast. Frantically, she reached blindly behind her head to find anything to defend herself with. As she did so she could feel the heat of the camp fire against her arm, meaning she wasn’t that far away from it. Reaching in the direction of the warmth, Rangi managed to wrap her fingers around a piece of firewood just as the beast’s open jaws came towards her face. In a last desperate attempt to save herself she thrust the burning stick into its face, just moments before the blow landed.</p><p>The creature howled in pain as the cinders scorched its eyes. It stumbled backwards, thrashing its head wildly and in doing so inadvertently took its foot off Rangi’s chest. Without a moment to lose, she quickly rolled onto her front, staying low to avoid the wolf’s flailing limbs. She saw the glint of her metal blade not too far away and frantically crawled towards it. She reached forwards and wrapped her fingers tightly around the grip, the feel of the silk threads instantly releasing some of the dread within her. Once again armed, she now at least stood a chance. Scrambling to her feet, she spun round to face her opponent but could only watch in terror as a set of claws swiped towards her, too close and too fast to dodge. She thought that crawling away from the creature had put enough distance between them, but she was wrong. Instead it had no doubt used the sound of her desperate clambering to get some measure of her location. Rangi had made the rookie mistake of taking her eyes off her enemy and now she was going to pay dearly for it.</p><p>The razor sharp hooks tore into her side, ripping through her armour as if it were nothing but rice paper. The only thing that saved her from the attack being the fatal blow was the fact that the wolf had been striking blind. All Rangi could do was scream in agony as the claws shredded their way through the flesh just above her hip. Pain emanated from the wounds like liquid fire, burning its way through her entire body. She staggered backwards, her injury forcing her to her knees. She looked down to inspect the damage, fearing the worst. There were three gruesome slashes into her flesh where once there was armour and skin. Rangi didn’t need to see them to know they were dangerously deep, the searing pain did that for her. She turned her attention to the wolf and felt the cold hand of panic grip her as it had all but recovered from her surprise attack. She tried to get to her feet, but the movement caused such a huge burst of agony to tear through her body that all she could manage was a weak cry as she fell back down to the ground. Not only had her attempt to stand been fruitless, but the sound of it had also given away her precise location. The wolf turned to face her as the last of the cinders fell from its eyes. She locked eyes with it as she tried to shut out the pain and stand strong. However, as she felt the blood soak into her clothes and drip onto the ground, she knew it was a losing battle. The wolf walked over to her with an arrogant slowness, after all it could clearly see how badly hurt she was, there was no need to rush. It came to a stop just in front of Rangi, towering over her. As she looked up at it, she did her best to not let her fear show on her face. She wasn’t going to give it the satisfaction.</p><p>“You fought well little warrior, but now it’s time to end this!” it said to her in a tone that bordered on smug. Rangi would have killed the creature outright if she was able to for its insult to her honour. She watched as the wolf raised its whole body onto its hind legs and lifted its front right paw high above its head. It clearly intended to kill her in one final brutal crushing blow. Rangi closed her eyes for a brief moment to prepare herself for the agony to come, however she did not intend that agony to be inflicted by the wolf but from what she was about to do next. Her eyes snapped open as she rolled forward. The pain exploded in her side but she fought through it. The manoeuvre had placed her within striking distance of its exposed underside. Seizing her opportunity she gripped her katana in both hands and thrust the blade as hard as she could into the beast’s stomach. It let out a tortured howl so great that Rangi felt it just as much as she heard it. She looked up just in time to see tar-like blood erupt from the wolf’s mouth, no doubt caused by the wound she had just inflicted. She heard it splatter onto the ground behind her. Rangi thought she had escaped the cascade of liquid until she felt some of it hit the small of her back. It landed on a small patch of bare skin that had been uncovered when her armour had been damaged. The blood burned like acid on her skin, causing her to let out a pained cry and as she did so, she pulled her sword out of the wolf with a violent jerk. The spirit fell backwards, twisting slightly as it did so and landed heavily on its side.</p><p>Rangi reached behind herself to wipe the blood from her back, but on feeling the skin with her hand she was surprised to find that it was dry. The fact was confirmed when she brought her hand back in front of her to see with her own eyes that it was clean. She could no longer feel the burning, almost as if it had never been there to begin with. She wondered if maybe because her body was so riddled with pain, that she had mistaken one sensation for another. Whatever the case she had more important things to worry about. She turned her attention back to the wolf spirit, who was beginning to slowly pull itself back onto its paws. Rangi could see the horrible thick black blood dripping from its mouth and the wound on its belly. It was unsteady on its legs as it rose up, showing the amount of strain it was putting itself under in order to do so. It glared at her and in its eyes she could see the internal debate it was having with itself. It was badly wounded, but so was she and it was trying to calculate if they clashed again, who would be victorious. Now was Rangi’s time to strike, not with her sword but with her resolve. Clenching her fist tightly around the handle of her katana, she mustered every last piece of strength she had. She heaved her legs under her as with each movement, flashes of intense pain rippled through her whole body. With great and excruciating effort she was able to force herself slowly to stand up. Her legs shook violently from the strain and her eyes watered from the agony, but against all the odds she was upright. Her sword hung loosely in her grip, the blade pointing at the ground but she still held it in her grasp. She locked eyes with the beast and as she did her eyes burned like fire. Despite all her wounds and the pool of blood at her feet, she was standing. If Rangi was going to die this day, she would die on her feet like a true soldier. She watched as the wolf regarded her, flattening its ears and recoiling back in fear. Clearly it saw her as too much of a threat to face a second time. It took a couple of steps away from her before it turned and fled, disappearing back into the forest.</p><p>The moment it left the clearing, it was as if light and warmth returned to the world. Yet as Rangi felt the adrenaline leave her body, so too did her strength. She knew that she would have to get back to Yokoya or at the very least the road. But as she took a step forward, she knew it was hopeless. Her legs collapsed beneath her and she crumbled to the ground. She had lost too much blood already. She had given everything she had and now Rangi had nothing left within her to keep fighting. It was strange as she lay on the forest floor, feeling the life drain from her body, her mind filled with questions that would be forever left unanswered. Would Jinpa be pleased to hear that spirits did truly live in the forest? Were the clothes she ordered from Yun in the supply wagon that the bandits robbed? Would her mother ever forgive her for Rangi’s last words to her being so hurtful?</p><p>Slowly her eyesight blurred as darkness crept into the corners of her vision. She heard the distant sound of footsteps so gentle she could barely hear them over the noise of her own laboured breathing. She let her eyes drift upwards lacking even the strength to move her head, the pain of her injuries robbing her of the ability to see the world around her clearly. All she could make out was the giant humanoid shape looming over. No doubt a Shinigami come to herald her to the next world. She took one last breath as she succumbed to the blackness and let it swallow her whole.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This time in my continuing effort to play video games to help me write my fic I ended up fight a ton of Zinogres on Monster Hunter! ^^;</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Forest Dwellers</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Rangi awakens to be met face to face with her savour.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Rangi awoke to the sight of the starry night sky through a canopy of branches and leaves. The moonlight overhead coated the world in its gentle silver glow. She could feel soft grass beneath her back and the soothing breeze against her skin. She wondered for a moment if she had died and the Shinigami had carried her into the world beyond. Yet as she moved to sit, a dull throbbing radiated from the left side of her torso. Rangi hissed in pain as she looked down to see the cause. She saw the shredded hole in the side of her armour, revealing three claw marks on her skin. Her surprise only grew to see that they were no longer bleeding, almost as if they were already starting to heal.  However the flesh around them looked red and sore meaning they were far from being fully healed.  Whilst it was odd to see her injuries in such a way, it did at least confirm she wasn’t dead. The deceased do not feel pain and the dull ache of her wounds paid testament to her being very much alive. It did leave the question however, of where she was.</p><p>Taking in her surroundings, she recognized that she had been here before. She was on the shore of the lagoon she had visited in her dream on her first night in Yokoya. The pond was exactly as she remembered it, from the crystal clear waters to the ancient tree in its centre. A yipping sound by her side drew her attention and as she cast her eyes down, she saw the same green fox from her dream sleeping beside her. Its small legs were twitching and it let out small excited cries as it slumbered. Rangi wondered with a smile if it was chasing rabbits in the fields of its dreams. As she watched the gentle rise and fall of its chest, she marvelled at how soft its coat looked. Rangi hated to disturb its nap, but at the same time she couldn’t stop herself from reaching out her hand to run it tenderly through its fur. It felt as soft as the finest silk. At her touch, the fox slowly opened its stormy grey eyes, seemingly unsurprised by Rangi’s presence. It almost seemed to be enjoying her attention, purring contently as she continued to stroke it. After a short while however, either due to boredom or satisfaction, it slowly got to its feet. It stretched out its long body and let out a yawn before trotting behind Rangi, coming to a stop to sit beside her. It looked down at her wounds then back up at her. If a fox could look saddened and concerned, it would be the look it was currently giving her. Rangi wanted to be able to tell the creature that she was fine, that it need not worry about her as she had suffered worse but this wouldn’t have been the truth. She had received injuries before, she was a soldier after all, but nothing as serious as the ones the wolf had inflicted on her. A wet sensation against her side broke her from her thoughts. Rangi looked down to see the fox gently licking her wounds. The feeling of it tickled so much so, she had to bite her lip to stop herself from giggling. Nevertheless she let it continue, she doubted it could do much to heal them but she appreciated the sentiment. Once the fox decided that it had done enough, it looked up at her, clearly expecting praise for a job well done.</p><p>“Thank you kindly,” Rangi said with a chuckle as she reached forward to softly pat the top of its head. The creature obviously appreciated the gesture, as its tail began to sway back and forth. Rangi wondered for a moment if foxes were anything like dogs. Suddenly the fox’s ears pricked up and its head snapped to the side as if something in the distance caught its attention. She also turned her head to follow its line of sight looking towards the far side of the lake. She was curious to know what drew its interest. At first she could only see the tree line as it encircled the lake, but then something in the shadows moved. Slowly, a creature emerged from the forest and Rangi’s stomach dropped to see that it was the wolf spirit from before, causing her to quickly scramble to her feet. Thankfully it hadn’t noticed her as it sluggishly made its way towards the water. She could tell that just like her, it was still suffering from the fight. Its black blood dripped onto the ground from the wound on its underbelly, leaving a gory trail in its wake. Rangi watched it silently as with great effort, it walked to the lake edge pausing for only a moment before stepping in.</p><p>As the wolf slowly submerged its body up to its flanks, the water began to brighten slightly, just as it had done when Rangi had touched it in her dream previously. However unlike before, when the light had intensified until it was blinding, this time it stayed at a gentle glow. The creature slowly closed its eyes and the tension visibly left its body. As the water touched the spirit, something strange began to happen to it. Little by little, the black colour started to slowly drain from its body like paint being washed from cotton. It flowed into the lake not unlike ink, where it lingered for only a moment before it dissolved into nothingness.  As it did, it gradually revealed a soft blue semi-translucent body that was hidden underneath. It was as if the water were somehow purifying it to uncover what truly lay beneath. She watched as its long fangs and strange back spikes shrank until finally, the creature resembled a normal wolf, albeit much larger and more spirit-like in appearance. Slowly it opened its eyes, looking like it had just woken from a long sleep. As Rangi looked at their sapphire-blue colour, she couldn’t help but think of how they reminded her of Kirima’s. They both shared the same striking gaze of a hunter.</p><p>However before she could dwell on the thought any longer, the wolf spirit turned its head to look directly at her. She felt her blood freeze under its piercing eyes. If it chose to attack her again in her current condition, she wouldn’t stand a chance, dream or no dream! Yet it made no move to do so, instead holding her gaze. Rangi couldn’t tell for sure, but to her, something in the way it regarded her appeared almost sad. She didn’t know wolves could feel sadness, but given everything that had happened to her recently, nothing seemed impossible any more. It looked at her with such sorrow that Rangi almost felt as if she had died and the wolf was mourning her death, despite her being very much alive as far as she could tell.</p><p>Soon enough, it turned away and redirected its attention to the tree at the centre of the lake. The wolf lifted its front paw up and placed it on the surface of the water. Rangi expected it to fall through the liquid, but it would seem that normal rules didn’t apply in the surreal situation in which she found herself. Instead, it placed its paw on the water, which had somehow magically become solid. Using it as a foothold, it pulled itself out of the lake until it was standing on the surface as easily as if it were standing on dry land. The wolf turned to give Rangi one last grief-stricken look before walking away. It moved across the surface of the water towards the tree at the centre of the lake. Rangi was confused momentarily, as it didn’t appear that it was attempting to go around or stop in front of it. She was worried that the wolf was going to hit its nose against the bark when suddenly its body emitted a flash of blinding white light. It was so bright that Rangi had to put her hands up to shield her eyes and when she looked again, it was gone. She looked in every direction to search for it but there was no sign of the wolf. She let out a long frustrated sigh - it seemed she was destined to never know what was going on.</p><p>Suddenly the green fox began to yip excitedly beside her. She had been so focused on the wolf spirit that she was ashamed to admit she had forgotten it was there. Just like earlier, it seemed that something in the distance had caught its interest and whatever it was, the fox was very happy to see it. Rangi turned to see what it was this time and once again was surprised by what she saw. Standing at the point where the wolf spirit had entered the lake was the tall woman she had seen before in her previous dream. Just like last time, the dark of the night and the distance between them meant she couldn’t see her clearly, but she knew in her heart that it was the same person. It would seem her focus was solely on the grand tree at the middle of the lake, at the same spot where the wolf had disappeared. For some reason that Rangi couldn’t explain, she felt an otherworldly sense of longing radiating from her. Like cold from a block of ice or warmth from a fire. It was something powerful but unseen and it filled Rangi with such sorrow that it was overwhelming. Seemingly unaffected by the aura of sorrow, the fox started to run towards the figure, no longer able to contain its excitement. At the sound of it bounding towards her, the woman appeared startled before turning and fleeing in the opposite direction. Sensing her opportunity for answers slipping away, Rangi decided to act quickly.</p><p>“Wait!” Rangi called out to them, fox and woman both. She tried to run after them but she only managed a couple of steps before a sharp pain coming from her lower back brought her to her knees. She collapsed onto the ground in a crumpled heap. She had never felt agony so intense before, it was piercing her to her very core. It felt like someone was stabbing her with a knife and with each passing second the blade was going deeper, its intensity causing her thoughts and vision to dull as it pulled her unwillingly into unconsciousness. With the last of her willpower, she stretched out her hand to try and get the attention of the mysterious woman. But she was already too far away, forever to remain out of reach it seemed. As Rangi let the darkness take her once again, she wondered if she would ever find the answers to the questions she forever seemed to be chasing.</p><p>~~~~</p><p>Rangi once again opened her eyes and found herself staring at a very different scene overhead. Instead of a starry night sky, she instead found herself looking up at the inside of a thatched straw roof supported by thick wooden beams. She was clearly inside someone’s home, but she had no memory of how she had ended up there. She wondered for a moment if she had woken up from a dream inside another dream. Maybe she was losing her ability to tell the difference between fantasy and reality. As she tried to move, her whole body began to ache and she lacked the strength to sit up, let alone stand. It would seem the state she was currently in more closely matched how she expected to be feeling after her fight with the wolf spirit. She almost wished that she was back in the dream, for at least in there everything didn’t hurt as much.</p><p>Having established that she was indeed awake, Rangi’s soldier instincts kicked in as she decided to take stock of her physical condition to enable her to then focus on survival. The side of her face was throbbing with pain, which only increased when she tried to move her mouth. She didn’t need to see it to know that she more than likely had a very impressive-looking bruise. Moving downwards, it was clear someone had removed her armour and most of her underlying clothes. Thankfully they had left her in her chest bindings and trousers, but the thought of being undressed by a stranger caused her cheeks to redden. If they had been inappropriate with her, saviour or no saviour, she would kill them! She carefully reached her hand toward the wound on her side, an action that took nearly all her effort to accomplish. If she needed any more proof of her weakened state, then that was it. She was surprised to feel bandages beneath her fingers that were wrapped around her midriff. Not only that, but she could also feel small, evenly-spaced bumps through the cloth, which meant that her cuts had also been stitched.</p><p>The condition of her body fully assessed, Rangi’s interest changed to the room in which she currently found herself. It was a rather small and humble space, clearly designed with one occupant in mind. It was a round room with dark wooden walls and floor and in the centre of the room was a small fire pit. It was dug into the ground and lined with thick heavy stones, no doubt to stop the wood floorboards catching alight. The pit presently had a small fire burning within it, keeping the room warm. Next to it was a single fur rug, which reinforced Rangi’s theory that only one person lived here. Beyond that there were a multitude of curved shelves that lined the far wall, upon which were stored an abundance of supplies. It looked like there was everything there that a person would need to survive. However it wasn’t the objects themselves that surprised her, but how they were so perfectly organised. Every item from the smallest tool to the largest bundle of fabric was neatly stacked and arranged. It almost put every art gallery or museum in the Fire Nation to shame. Beneath the shelving there was a small cabinet with its doors closed, so Rangi was curious about what was stored within. But she presumed, as she couldn’t see any clothes about the place, it was more than likely that was where they were stored.</p><p>Her eyes continued to scan the room, finding little else of note until her eyes settled on a large chest against the wall beside the bed. It was a hefty, ornate-looking thing and seemed quite at odds with the rest of the room. The metal of the frame along with the carvings on the wood looked far more decorative and well-made compared to how rustic all the other objects in the room looked. Above the chest was another shelf, but it was much smaller than the others. There were only a few items on it, implying that they must be regarded as precious but looking at them, Rangi couldn’t understand why. All that was on it was a gold-dyed tassel, a few beads, a single bronze coin and a small toy clay turtle. Hardly objects of worth but clearly displayed with the upmost pride.</p><p>The sound of footsteps approaching the door immediately drew her attention. Her heart began to race as her rescuer or captor returned. If they turned out to be the latter, then she was in no state to fight them. As the door began to open, Rangi instinctively shut her eyes to pretend to still be sleeping. At least that way she might be able to learn a little more about the situation she found herself in before acting. She listened intensely to the footsteps as they entered the room and slowly moved around the place. Whoever they were, they were being surprisingly quiet, so much so that Rangi almost had to strain her ears to hear them moving around. Such light footfalls must surely belong to a woman and a slight one at that. This thought did fill her with a little hope as she could probably take them on. The tension in her body grew as she heard the figure come closer, despite her best effort to remain calm. There was a moment of silence before a distinctly female voice cut through it.</p><p>“If you want to pretend to be sleeping, you need to slow your breathing.” the person said with a hint of amusement in their voice and Rangi couldn’t help but frown at the comment. She felt like a child who had been caught with her hand in the jar of mochi. Slowly she opened her eyes expecting to see a petite woman standing beside the bed. However whilst the person was indeed female, they were the complete opposite of what she had envisaged. She was so tall that she towered over Rangi. Not only that, but from her low angle it made it look like the room could barely contain her. Despite her enormous height, in her face she appeared to be roughly the same age as Rangi. Her skin was lightly tanned and dusted with freckles, which reminded her of stars in the night sky. She had dark brown hair that disappeared behind her head, so Rangi guessed it must be long and currently tied into a low pony tail. She was wearing plain clothes similar to those she had seen the people of Yokoya wearing, but hers were a much paler green in their colour. She was looking down at Rangi with a warm and gentle smile, but with a hint of concern in her grey eyes.</p><p>“How are you feeling? You were in a pretty bad way when I found you passed out in the woods.” the stranger asked, but when Rangi went to reply she suddenly realised how dry her throat was. Instead of words, she just let out a bunch of awkward dry coughs. Almost immediately, the woman hurried over to the far wall to grab a water skin. It did give Rangi the opportunity to see how long her hair was as it reached down to the middle of her back. When she swiftly returned, Rangi tried to sit up so she could have a drink, but her new-found weakness made the simple action frustratingly difficult. The tall woman once again rushed to aid her, reaching under her arm to help lift her. Whilst Rangi’s pride resented the help, her body and wounds were very grateful. Finally when she was sitting up somewhat comfortably, the woman handed her the water skin before crouching down beside the bed. Bringing the water to her parched lips, Rangi began to drink greedily. The liquid felt wonderful on her dry throat, soothing what could only be described as a feeling like scorched desert sands. With her thirst quenched at last, her focus turned to the tall mysterious stranger.</p><p>“Are you the one who treated me?” Rangi asked as she gestured in the general direction of her wounds, careful that her movements didn’t aggravate them. The woman responded with a nod of her head.</p><p>“Yes, like I said before I found you lying unconscious in the forest. Your side was cut to pieces, your face badly bruised and you had also lost a lot of blood, yet somehow you were still alive. I have no idea how you managed to survive long enough for me to get you back here to care for your injuries, but you did.” the stranger replied, sounding rather impressed for a moment, then her face suddenly turned very sombre. “I’m sorry there was nothing I could do for your two companions. They were already dead by the time I arrived.” she continued and Rangi felt her blood boil at the very idea of being considered friends with those irreverent lowlifes.</p><p>“They were no companions of mine! They were the very bandits that I was chasing and who got me into this mess!” she snapped, unable to contain her fury. If those bandits hadn’t let their greed overcome them, they wouldn’t have brought forth the wolf spirit’s wrath. The very same wrath that nearly killed her. At her furious outburst, she saw the tall stranger visibly shrink, like she was so ashamed of her mistake she wanted to take up less space in the world in order to hide. Upon seeing her reaction, Rangi felt instantly guilty. This woman had rescued her from certain death and here she was making her feel bad over a simple mistake. After all it was an easy assumption to make at finding three bodies in a camp together. All of a sudden, Rangi felt very awkward! She wasn’t used to someone taking her words to heart when she was so clearly in the wrong. Normally they would fight back or defend themselves and yet the tall stranger did not. Feeling bad for someone was not a feeling Rangi was used to.</p><p>“But…thank you for saving my life…umm…” she said in a rather desperate attempt to dig herself out of the conversational hole she had put herself into. However in doing so, she found herself in another as she suddenly realised she had totally forgotten to ask the woman for her name. Thankfully for her, the stranger seemed to understand the reasoning behind her bizarre pause. In fact she seemed to find a little bit of humour in it as she let out a small chuckle at her discomfort, a sound that Rangi found oddly pleasant to listen to.</p><p>“You are very welcome and the name is Kyoshi.” she replied with a gentle smile. To be honest, Rangi was just glad to be able to put a name to the stranger’s freckled face. However she still had a whole bunch of questions for Kyoshi and she just hoped that she didn’t mind the incoming barrage.</p><p>“Where are we?” Rangi asked as, whilst the room did have a small window, it was at such an angle that she couldn’t see out of it from where she was lying.</p><p>“In my home,” Kyoshi replied and at her comment Rangi had to stop herself from frowning. That fact was painfully obvious! Unfortunately at the moment she didn’t know Kyoshi well enough to tell if she was trying to be funny or just had rocks for brains. The soft smile on her face did nothing to help her out, so for the sake of her sanity she decided to just move on.</p><p>“In Yokoya?” she asked and this time Kyoshi just shook her head.</p><p>“Not quite, I live deep within the forest that surrounds it. I don’t ever actually go into the town itself.” she responded and that did explain why Rangi had never seen her around before. Surely if she had, she would have definitely remembered her. However, Kyoshi’s reply did raise a couple of queries in her mind. She had never heard any mention of anyone actually living in the forest.</p><p>“Do you live out here all by yourself?” Kyoshi once again answered with a gesture, but this time it was a nod.</p><p>“I do indeed, well me and the occasional visiting fox!” she said with a chuckle, clearly intending her comment to lighten the mood but instead it caused Rangi’s respect for her to grow. It couldn’t be an easy life for her to live alone in the forest. It did make her briefly wonder why she chose this kind of existence when a comfortable life in Yokoya was so close. However it did appear, at least from the outside, that she was not just surviving but thriving. It would seem that the woman with the wonderful soft smile must be tougher than she looked. Yet as Rangi thought over Kyoshi’s words, she couldn’t help but fixate on her mention of foxes living in the woods. Her mind instantly brought up images of the green fox she had seen twice now in her dreams. She was about to say something that would more than likely make her sound like a complete fool, but it was a risk she was willing to take for the sake of curiosity.</p><p>“I was wondering, by chance are any of the foxes here green?” Rangi knew the moment the words left her mouth how ridiculous they sounded. Kyoshi didn’t help her embarrassment as she regarded her with a raised eyebrow.</p><p>“Not as far as I am aware.” she responded, as her expression of confusion turned to one of concern. “Are you feeling alright? You are not coming down with a fever are you?” she asked and whilst her question was one of genuine worry, it only added to Rangi’s humiliation. Although if she was being honest with herself, if someone had asked her such an odd question she would probably also think they were ill. Kyoshi reached out her hand and placed the back of it against Rangi’s forehead. She was a little taken aback by the intimate gesture, causing a blush to warm her cheeks. She had no idea why Kyoshi’s touch caused such a reaction from her. It wasn’t like she hadn’t had her temperature taken before. Nevertheless her blush didn’t help her case, as Kyoshi’s look of concern only grew when feeling how warm she was.</p><p>“You do feel a little hot! If you give me a moment, I have something that will help with that.” she said as she removed her hand. As much as Rangi wanted to tell her it was only the heat of her blush that she was feeling, she decided there was only so much indignity she could take. Better to just take whatever Kyoshi offered and be done with it than try to explain the real reason. Slowly the woman stood up and brushed herself off before heading over to the shelves. She took a moment to open the cabinet doors, giving Rangi the chance to see inside. She could just make out a pile of her own gear containing her armour, clothes and katana stacked in the top compartment. “Before I forget, your stuff is all stored here, safe and sound if you were wondering where it was. Your armour is in pretty bad shape, but I kept it just in case you still wanted it.” she called out to her across the room. Rangi could see more clothes in the cabinet squashed into the section below the one her things currently occupied. Clearly Kyoshi had crammed all of her belongings into the smaller space in order to give Rangi’s way more than they needed. Before she could ponder why she would do such a thing, Kyoshi closed the door and returned to her task of preparing the medicine she wrongly thought Rangi needed.</p><p>She watched silently as Kyoshi grabbed a few dried herbs, a second water skin and a small wooden cup from the shelves. An easy task given how well organised everything was. She then quickly set to work reigniting the fire and boiling some water in an iron kettle. Once done, she filled the cup before mixing in the herbs. Clearly satisfied with the concoction, she brought it over to Rangi, but not before carefully blowing on it a couple of times. Another small gesture that brought a warmth to Rangi’s cheeks. She quickly took the drink when it was handed to her, hoping that Kyoshi didn’t notice her blush. Despite the beverage’s heat, she swiftly gulped it down, unable to stop her face from scrunching up from how horribly bitter it was. She looked up at Kyoshi as she handed back the cup to see the woman had an amused smile on her face, no doubt at the expression she had just seen her make.</p><p>“Just a quick warning that according to Atuat, this stuff does make you very sleepy” Kyoshi said as she took the cup, set it down on the floor beside her and once again sat down next to the bed. At the mention of Atuat, Rangi’s brain suddenly started to race with a thousand thoughts, one after the other. Thinking of the healer also brought forth images of her mother, who had completely slipped her mind until now. Her mother was probably worried sick about her and her whereabouts. They may not have parted under the best of terms but she still didn’t want to cause her unnecessary suffering. All Rangi could think about in that moment was letting Hei-Ran know she was alright. She could clearly picture her mother finding the ruined camp, the ground soaked in blood and her daughter nowhere to be seen. Before her better judgement had a chance to stop her, Rangi tried to get out of bed. Luckily Kyoshi and the pain from her wounds were able to stop her before she injured herself further, the tall woman reaching forward to gently but firmly push her back down onto the bed. Rangi tried to resist, but it was a pointless endeavour given her lack of strength and the pain she was suffering from her injuries.</p><p>“No! I need to tell my mother that I’m alright! She will be worried out of her mind!” Rangi cried out in a panic, hoping her words would somehow convince Kyoshi to let her go. Yet despite her best efforts, Kyoshi remained steadfast.</p><p>“Please calm down, I have already notified Hei-Ran that you are here and that you are safe.” she said in an attempt to appease her, but instead it had the opposite effect. Kyoshi had unintentionally revealed something that shook Rangi to her very core. She ceased her frantic movements to look at her with a hard glare through narrowed eyes.</p><p>“How do you know that Hei-Ran is my mother?” she asked, her voice low and dangerous. Kyoshi’s eyes widened in shock as she clearly just realised her blunder.</p><p>“Did you not mention it earlier?” Kyoshi sounded so unsure of her own cover-up that it was almost laughable. Unfortunately for her, Rangi was not in a laughing mood. It seemed even in the middle of the forest with a total stranger, she couldn’t escape the web of secrecy she found herself in. Too cross to even answer Kyoshi’s blatant lie, she slowly shook her head. The tall woman visibly cowered under her intense and furious gaze.  Clearly she realised just how deep the hole she had dug herself into was getting.</p><p>“What are you not telling me?” Rangi asked through gritted teeth, her voice sounding more like a growl. However, no sooner had the words left her mouth than a wave of tiredness hit her. It seemed the medicine that had started this current mess was finally starting to kick in. Rangi cursed under her breath as she suddenly found herself fighting to keep her eyes open. She was at her wit’s end and had just about enough of everything that was going on. She was always so close to finding answers, only to have them pulled away from her at the last moment and now it was happening all over again! “I have had it with all these lies and secrets, first from my mother and now from you! You are both treating me like I’m some ignorant child or even worse, like an idiot! Quite frankly, I’m sick and tired of it all!” Rangi shouted her outburst of unbridled resentment, fighting to keep the tears of frustration at bay. All the emotions she had tried so hard to keep inside her were released in one fiery eruption. However, the effect was somewhat ruined by how sleepy she sounded, her slurred speech making it seem more like the ramblings of a drunkard than an expression of her actual feelings. Thankfully, it seemed that Kyoshi understood the seriousness of her words given the expression of understanding on her face. Yet as Rangi gazed into her eyes, she also saw a look of great sadness within them that took her by surprise. It would seem that whatever Kyoshi was keeping from her was weighing heavily on her heart.</p><p>“I’m truly sorry that I made you feel that way. Please believe me when I say that was never my intention. I promise I will tell you everything, but first you need to rest.” Kyoshi said softly to her and as much as Rangi tried to find a shred of dishonesty in her words, she could not.</p><p>“...promise?” she asked, her voice sounding as drowsy as she felt, but she fought with every fibre of her being to keep her eyes from closing. She wanted to be sure that it wasn’t some trick to once again deny her the truths she so desperately hoped to find. Rangi needed to know that when she did wake up, Kyoshi would still be there waiting for her.</p><p>“I promise Rangi,” she said as she reached over to gently take hold of Rangi’s hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. With that, she finally surrendered to the tender pull of sleep, unwilling to fight it any longer. As she felt herself drift off, her only thought was of yet another question to add to her ever growing list.</p><p>How did Kyoshi know her name?</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>*phew* That was a long one!! ^^; Unfortunately as I am writing the next chapter it is also turning out to be another long one so I apologize for that! I plan in the future to try aim for shorter chapters!</p><p>However on the plus side...Kyoshi is finally here!! Hooyah!! -^^-</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Sins of Those before Us</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Rangi learns the truth through the memories of Kyoshi's past</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Rangi opened her eyes and was momentarily confused as she stared up at the unfamiliar celling. However, it didn’t take long for all the memories to come flooding back to her. She remembered the wolf spirit attack, her near-fatal injuries and finally her rescue by the beautiful tall woman. She was slightly perplexed as to why her mind had chosen to focus on that particular detail, but she chose not to ponder on it as her attention shifted to the gentle crackling of the fire. It was the only light source in the room, as night had fallen in the time she had been asleep. The very same woman who filled Rangi’s thoughts was currently sat beside the fire, tending to something that she was cooking over the flames. Whatever it was made Rangi’s mouth water as the smell of the food filled the room. With a deep groan, she did her best to sit up on her own. Thankfully the extra rest had done the trick as she was able to sit up, albeit with quite a bit of pain. Strangely, most of her pain seemed to be coming from her lower back, which was uninjured. Rangi simply put it down to having slept funny. On hearing her moving, Kyoshi’s eyes darted over to her as the signature soft smile graced her lips.</p><p>“How are you feeling?” she asked and Rangi could hear the sincere concern in her voice. She was somewhat relieved that this hadn’t changed since Kyoshi’s accidental revelation.</p><p>“Better, thank you.” she replied, unable to think up anything else to say in the moment. Her mind was still burning with questions that only Kyoshi had the answers to. Rangi had to stop herself rushing in headfirst and demanding responses to all of these questions. However, at the very least she owed her saviour some degree of patience. After all, she had kept her promise; she was still here. As Kyoshi finished up what she was cooking, she spooned what looked to be a mixture of rice and some kind of meat into a wooden bowl. Standing up, she walked over to Rangi and handed the bowl over to her along with a pair of chopsticks. She wondered why Kyoshi did not take any for herself, but assumed that she must have already eaten.</p><p>“I’m sorry that it is not something more exciting. I did manage to snare a rabbit earlier, so you at least have some meat with your rice.” Kyoshi said as she nervously rubbed the back of her head. If Rangi didn’t know any better, she would say that Kyoshi was doubting the quality of her cooking, even before she had a chance to try it. However her fears were unfounded, for the moment Rangi tasted the food, she found it was delicious. Not only that, but she also realised just how hungry she was. She wolfed down her meal, only stopping for breath when strictly necessary. It was a rather unique skill she picked up in the military. Once finished, she sheepishly handed the empty bowl back to Kyoshi. Thankfully she looked more pleased than shocked at her ravenous display.</p><p>“Well I guess it must be nicer than the bone broth I have been giving you.” Kyoshi said as she got up to place the bowl with the rest of the cooking utensils by the fire. Rangi did wonder how she had been sustained whilst she was unconscious and now she had her answer. It did make her curious about just how long she had been out of it. However right now, there were more important demands on her mind. Rangi watched silently as Kyoshi knelt down and took a moment to organise the things left over from her cooking. Although she wasn’t about to clean it, she obviously didn’t want to leave it looking a mess. Finally appearing to be satisfied, she stood up straight with her back to the bed. As she did so, Rangi saw something in her demeanour change. Kyoshi’s shoulders slumped, not in defeat but in resignation and she let out a long sigh as she turned to face Rangi, her eyes filled with sadness.</p><p>“What do you wish to know?” she asked, yet with her words Rangi felt her heart both sink and soar. Finally she could learn the truth, but one look at the anguish on Kyoshi’s face and she wasn’t so sure she wanted to hear it. Nevertheless she had come too far to back down now.</p><p>“How do you know my mother?” Rangi asked plainly, deciding it was probably best for the both of them if she got straight to the point. Kyoshi for her part seemed unsurprised by her question. Instead she let out another long sigh, looking like someone who was tired of running from the inevitable.</p><p>“That is rather a long story and I will have to start at the very beginning.” she replied and if Rangi didn’t know any better, she would say Kyoshi looked troubled. However it only took her a moment to realise she was only worried about taking up too much of Rangi’s time. A sweet sentiment but ultimately a completely futile one!</p><p>“Well, it’s not like I’m going anywhere!” Rangi responded as she gestured downwards at her current bed-bound state. She watched as Kyoshi turned sheepish, as she clearly realised how her concern had overtaken her common sense.</p><p>“Fair point!” Kyoshi said as she grabbed a nearby stool and brought it over, setting it down beside the bed and sitting on it. Rangi had to stop herself from smiling at how comical she looked with her long legs bent awkwardly to accommodate the stool’s short height. However as she watched Kyoshi get comfortable, it did make her wonder just how long her story was. Once settled, Kyoshi took a deep breath, clearly to steady herself for what was to come. “Do you know of a monk by the name of Kelsang?” she asked. Rangi was slightly taken aback by the seemingly random question. Yet at the mention of the man’s name, a flood of images were brought back into her mind. A giant of a man that could probably rival even Kyoshi in height. Yet despite his looming presence, all she could think of was his generous smile and warm eyes.</p><p>“Yeah, I met him quite a few times. He is a good friend of my mother. According to her, they have known each other since they were young adults.” Some of Rangi’s favourite childhood memories were when Kelsang came to visit. He always brought sweets to sneak to her when Hei-Ran wasn’t looking, passing them to her with a cheeky wink. Not only that but after her father’s passing, his words of love and sagely wisdom brought her great comfort. Kyoshi clearly noticed how her brief trip down memory lane had brought a smile to her face as she too now had one to match. Her reaction could only mean she also knew him well.</p><p>“He was the one who raised me.” she said and Rangi couldn’t keep the surprise from her face.</p><p>“I didn’t know he had children!” In all the time she had known Kelsang, he never mentioned having a daughter. She had even been to his home a couple of times and had never seen any evidence of a child there. She looked over at Kyoshi and saw her expression change dramatically. Her smile faded and in its place was a look of great sadness but also a hint of anger.</p><p>“He didn’t, I was abandoned on his doorstep when I was five years old. My birth parents didn’t want me anymore, so they dumped me there like I was nothing.” Kyoshi said as Rangi watched her grit her teeth and clench her fists. Whilst it was a long time ago, it was clear that particular wound was still fresh and painful. Not that she blamed Kyoshi at all! To be cast aside by the very people who were supposed to love and care for you was unthinkable. She could never imagine her own family leaving her that way at such a young and vulnerable age. Hei-Ran had at least waited until she was old enough to fend for herself before abandoning her. Rangi waited for Kyoshi to continue, as it was clearly written on her face how much she didn’t want to tell her story. Thankfully it wasn’t long before she continued on. “It was only because he was a selfless person that he took me in when he could just as easily have left me out on the streets to die. He fed me, clothed me and treated me like a daughter. All that and more out of the kindness of his heart.” The more Kyoshi spoke of Kelsang, the more the resentment faded from her face to be replaced with her usual gentle smile. An expression that Rangi decided she much preferred.</p><p>“That does sound like him,” she said. It wasn’t hard to imagine Kelsang taking in a stray child for no other reason than they needed him to. However it did beg the question of why he had to do so in the first place. “Why did your parents abandon you?” Rangi asked and it was clearly a tough subject for Kyoshi, as the anger returned to her features tenfold.</p><p>“They are criminals, high-ranking members of the Daofei. I guess a child didn’t really fit into their busy lives.” she replied, her animosity easy to hear even through gritted teeth. Rangi could understand her anger but at the same time she found it hard to imagine Kyoshi being the offspring of outlaws. She may not have known her long but all she had seen was a compassionate and gentle woman.</p><p>“How do you know they are criminals if they abandoned you so young?” Rangi hated to ask for proof of Kyoshi’s lawbreaker parents but she found it so impossible to envisage that she felt she had to. Thankfully she didn’t seem insulted by her question but instead gestured towards the ornate chest placed against the wall.</p><p>“My mother was kind enough to leave me her journal detailing her unlawful activities. It is my sordid inheritance!” Kyoshi’s tone was dripping with bitter sarcasm. Rangi turned to look at the chest, it seemed a bit on the big side for just one journal. However she decided against questioning it further, it was clearly a touchy subject and she didn’t want to upset Kyoshi further. So instead she chose to change the topic or rather get it back to the main issue.</p><p>“How does my mother fit into all of this?” Rangi asked solemnly. As much as she was interested in learning about the tall woman’s past, she was still unsure how Hei-Ran tied into everything. At her question, Kyoshi looked away from her for the first time since their conversation started and began to fiddle with the fabric of her sleeve. She was radiating nervous energy like heat from a fire. It was clear that whatever she had to say next was going to be the hardest thing for her yet. That thought alone started to make Rangi uneasy, especially given everything she had already learnt. Finally Kyoshi turned to face her, once again taking a deep breath in an attempt to steady her nerves.</p><p>“I am the reason Hei-Ran is here in Yokoya. I’m the reason that she left the Fire Nation army.” she said and Rangi felt her jaw hit the floor. Her brain couldn’t begin to understand how in the name of the spirits that this was possible. Of all the things she thought Kyoshi might say, never in her wildest dreams did she think it would be that.</p><p>“What?!” Rangi blurted out, her voice raised as her befuddled brain offered up no better comeback. Kyoshi visibly flinched at her outburst, the tension in her body only increasing as a result. Yet it was clear to see she was pushing forward despite her distress.</p><p>“She made a promise to Kelsang and it is one she has kept to this day.” she replied as her fear once again gave way to sadness. She tightly gripped at the material of her robe as she began the tale of the day she first met Hei-Ran.</p><p>~~~~</p><p>11 Years Earlier</p><p>Kyoshi wished that Kelsang would just let her go to bed. He had asked a long-time friend to come stay with them for a few days and finally it seemed she was about to arrive. According to him, it was a lady by the name of Hei-Ran. Since finding out she could come, he could barely contain his excitement, especially as they rarely had people visit them and they never stayed the night. Kyoshi had to admit that it was good to see Kelsang with an extra spring in his step. The only downside was that they had spent all day tidying the whole house from top to bottom. It wasn’t that Kyoshi minded cleaning, she actually quite enjoyed it, bringing order into her otherwise chaotic life. However the day’s work had left her feeling tired, but Kelsang wanted her there to greet their guest. In fact, right now he was currently fussing over her hair and with an irritated grumble she did her best to bat away his hands. Thankfully he took no offence at the gesture and instead chuckled at her annoyance.</p><p>“Come on Kyoshi, you have got to look your best for our visitor.” he said as he gently patted her head, careful not to mess up her newly neatened hair.</p><p>“But… why? Can’t I go to bed?” Kyoshi asked as she looked up at him and rubbed her eyes. Kelsang gave her one of his big goofy grins that he normally used when he told her she was doing something cute. However right now, she wasn’t sure what was so cute about her being sleepy.</p><p>“Because we want to make a good first impression.” he replied, but his words only confused her further. She wasn’t really sure what a first impression was or why it was important. She was more worried about a different problem altogether.</p><p>“What if she doesn’t like me?” Kyoshi asked, choosing to look at the floor and being too nervous to meet Kelsang’s eyes. Try as she might to ignore the mocking words of the other village children, they still hurt. They had made it quite clear that she was too tall, stupid and unlovable to be worthy of friends. What was to say that this woman would not think the same? Seeing Kelsang crouch down in front of her, she dared to look up at him. His wonderful sincere smile helped lessen some of the self-doubt in her heart.</p><p>“I’m sure she is going to love you just as much as I do.” At his kind words, Kyoshi couldn’t help but smile back at him. A knock on the door interrupted the moment and caused her to jump slightly. The smile on Kelsang’s face widened at the noise, as he stood up straight. “She’s here! Remember to be polite and to smile.” he said to her before he turned and opened the door. The person revealed on the other side was a woman that looked to be about the same age as Kelsang. She looked very Fire Nation with her red clothing and silky black hair tied up in a topknot.  Her harsh features reminded Kyoshi of the statues that she saw standing guard outside of temples. She found the woman’s mere presence intimidating and suddenly, despite Kyoshi’s best efforts, she found herself being more than a little scared of her. However some of the woman’s harshness melted away when she saw Kelsang. She barely had time to react as he stepped forward to give her a big hug.</p><p>“Welcome my old friend, you are looking as beautiful as ever!” he said to her as he slowly unwrapped his arms from around her. Kyoshi could clearly see how happy they both were by the matching looks of joy on their faces.</p><p>“Hello to you too Kelsang, you are looking well.” she replied as her gaze drifted downwards, taking in Kyoshi for the first time. She suddenly felt very nervous and instinctively took a step towards Kelsang. She gripped onto his leg and tucked herself behind him, both for comfort as well as to hide herself from the stranger.  However the woman in question crouched down so that she was level with Kyoshi. It was a simple move, but even to her young eyes she could see that she performed it with such grace. “Who is this lovely young lady?” she asked and her kind words did alleviate Kyoshi’s fears a little. Yet her caution still held her back, causing her to grip Kelsang’s leg tighter. She looked up at him expecting to see disappointment on his face at her show of cowardice. But instead she was greeted with a gentle and encouraging smile on his lips.</p><p>“It’s alright Kyoshi, don’t be shy.” he said softly and she felt braver knowing he was there. Turning back to face the woman, she let go of his leg and took a slow cautious step towards her.</p><p>“Hello, my name is Kyoshi.” she announced in a slightly shaky voice which was followed by a small bow. The woman looked to be pleased by her gesture and not only that, but she responded with a bow of her own. It was a little awkward seeing that she was currently crouched, but it was a bow nevertheless.</p><p>“It’s very nice to meet you, I’m Hei-Ran.” she replied and Kyoshi couldn’t help a little smile from growing on her lips. It was rare that anyone other than Kelsang was so nice to her. It was a pleasant feeling even if it was a completely foreign one. The sound of Kelsang clearing his throat pulled her from her thoughts.</p><p>“Right, well! You have said your hello now, so it’s off to bed with you. Hei-Ran and I have boring adult stuff to talk about.” he proclaimed and as he did so, Hei-Ran swiftly stood up straight. She looked at him with a displeased expression as she sternly crossed her arms.</p><p>“Kelsang! Did you keep poor Kyoshi up past her bedtime just so you could have her greet me? Sleep is very important to the development of a young child!” Kelsang suddenly turned very sheepish at receiving Hei-Ran’s lecture. Kyoshi didn’t understand the last bit, but it sounded to her like he was in deep trouble.</p><p>“Of course not! Kyoshi just happened to be awake.” he replied in a tone so unsure that even Kyoshi could tell it was a lie. She looked up at him in confusion, taking in his clearly fake smile as she did.</p><p>“No, I wasn’t!” she said, wondering why Kelsang felt like he had to fib to Hei-Ran. The woman’s scowl towards him only deepened at Kyoshi’s words as she raised an eyebrow at him. Kelsang let out an awkward laugh as he tried to quickly usher Kyoshi towards the stairs.</p><p>“Alright, time for bed!” he called out, the volume of his voice only matched by the awkwardness in it. Kyoshi quite happily let him move her towards the stairs as it finally meant she could go to bed. Besides it wasn’t like she would understand much of their conversation anyway. It just proved how weird adults were, but at least Hei-Ran seemed to be a very kind and friendly person. Suddenly Kyoshi realised that despite her promise to be polite to their guest, she was currently being very rude. She stopped in her tracks to turn to Hei-Ran one last time.</p><p>“Goodnight Mistress Hei-Ran, it was nice to meet you.” she said as she once again bowed to her, just as Kelsang had taught her to.</p><p>“It was nice to meet you too.” she replied with a smile and a small wave to send her off to bed with. Kyoshi found herself feeling quite glad that Hei-Ran was staying with them despite her earlier fears. She hoped she got to know her better during her visit. She continued up the stairs with Kelsang following behind her. It didn’t take her long to get ready for bed and soon enough she was settled under her blanket in her tiny room. The space may be small and a little bit sparse, but it was all hers. Kelsang wished her sweet dreams, followed by a kiss on her forehead, just as he did every night, which made her smile. Blowing out the candle, he left her to sleep. Despite her tiredness and no matter how long she closed her eyes for, she couldn’t seem to fall asleep. Her mind felt like it was racing and her busy thoughts were keeping her awake. An uneasy feeling in her gut was telling her that she couldn’t go to sleep, at least not yet. She wasn’t sure how long she had been laying there, staring at the ceiling but she wasn’t getting any closer to nodding off.</p><p>Finally she decided she needed to do something about it! Surely a warm cup of milk would do the trick. With a frustrated grumble, she slowly got out of bed and headed out of her room towards the stairs. As she got closer, she could hear Kelsang and Hei-Ran talking below. Whatever it was about sounded important and suddenly Kyoshi found herself with a bit of a problem. She didn’t want to be rude and interrupt their conversation. On the other hand, it would also be impolite to listen in on them. Unsure of what to do, Kyoshi stood silently at the top of the stairs for a moment until she suddenly thought up the perfect plan. She would just listen and wait for them to finish talking, then go down. Kyoshi couldn’t stop the smile from spreading across her lips. The village children may say she was stupid, but if only they could see her now. They would eat their mean words! Carefully she edged closer to the stairs so she could better hear, but also see them too. Thankfully she was out of sight, hidden in the darkness of the corridor. She could see Hei-Ran and Kelsang both sat cross-legged on the floor, each with a steaming cup of tea in their hands.</p><p>“So how is little Rangi getting on? She must be eight now, the same age as Kyoshi.” he asked and she could hear the joy in his voice. Whoever this Rangi person was, Kelsang was clearly very fond of them. She briefly remembered him mentioning that Hei-Ran had a daughter, maybe that was her. Even from such a distance, she could see the love shining from within Hei-Ran’s eyes.</p><p>“She is very well thank you, but not so little any more. She has just been accepted into the Royal Fire Academy for Girls, which she will be starting at soon.” she replied, her words filled with pride. Kelsang let out a small chuckle, clearly finding some humour in her overflowing delight.</p><p>“It’s wonderful to hear that she is thriving. I can tell how proud you are of her.” Hei-Ran just smiled at him as she took a sip of tea. However as she did so her expression changed into one of amusement, raising an eyebrow at him.</p><p>“I am, although whilst we are on the topic of children, I must admit I never expected to see you with one of your own. I could hardly believe it when I read the news in your letter.” Kyoshi felt her whole body grow tense, not only at what Hei-Ran said but also in fear of Kelsang’s reply. She constantly lived in dread that one day he would realise what a mistake taking her in had been and that he would kick her out on the streets to die. It was a continuous unease within her, despite Kelsang frequently reassuring her that it wasn’t the case. But now she would hear the truth, after all she wasn’t there for him to lie to.</p><p>“She was a little unexpected, but I wouldn’t trade her for all the gold in the four nations.” Kyoshi felt her eyes water slightly at hearing Kelsang say that. She could hear the sincerity of his words and knew in her heart he truly meant it. The years of doubt and unease wouldn’t be erased completely with one simple phrase, but she felt their grip on her loosen just a little. She quickly wiped her eyes with her sleeve, as happy as she was she didn’t want to inadvertently alert them to her presence by sobbing out loud. However as she turned her attention back to the adults, she was perturbed to see that Kelsang’s face had turned deadly serious. It was the most serious she had ever seen the normally joyful man. “That does bring me to the very reason I asked you here in the first place. You know that you are my most loyal and trusted friend.” Whilst it seemed like a compliment, something about the way he said it made it sound more like a statement of fact. Hei-Ran seemed to think so too as she gave him a suspicious look.</p><p>“I’m not sure I like where this is going, but continue.” she replied with a raised eyebrow.</p><p>“I have something to ask of you, but it can’t be taken lightly. If you agree, then you must swear on your honour that you will uphold it.” Kyoshi knew whatever Kelsang was asking of her had to be very serious. Even she knew that the people of the Fire Nation did not joke around when it came to their honour. Hei-Ran put down her tea as she regarded Kelsang with a grave look that matched the one on his face.</p><p>“I will consider it, but I need to hear it first.” she replied and as she did so, Kelsang took a deep intake of breath. Something Kyoshi had only ever seen him do when he had something extremely important to say.</p><p>“If something should happen to me, I need you to take care of Kyoshi and hide her where no-one can find her.” Kelsang said in a voice that left no question of how critical what he was asking for was. Hei-Ran looked completely shocked by what he had just said. A look that Kyoshi knew, without doubt, was matched by the one on her own face. Why in the name of the spirits would Kelsang say something like that? Surely nothing was going to happen to him! Maybe he was ill and hadn’t told her? Whatever it was, she would ask, but right now she was just as worried about Hei-Ran’s answer. She was extremely fortunate that Kelsang had chosen to take her in, but surely she wouldn’t be so lucky a second time. However before the doubt had a chance to settle in, Hei-Ran replied.</p><p>“Of course I would! I know our interactions so far have been brief, but she seems like a very sweet girl. I would never leave a child to starve on the streets. However I must ask, why would I have to hide her and from what?” Her response was so quick and certain that Kyoshi was a little taken aback. Surely it must be because of Hei-Ran’s sense of honour and her friendship with Kelsang that she made such a promise so readily, not because she liked her. She saw some of the tension leave Kelsang’s body, his sense of relief clear to see. It would seem Hei-Ran’s reply had put him at ease, but the solemn look he had been wearing earlier was quick to return. Not only that, but it was the first time in the whole conversation that Kyoshi had seen him look uneasy about what he was going to say.</p><p>“The parents that left her here with me are powerful criminals who made some very dangerous enemies. I worry that they may one day come after her. Kyoshi is just a child trapped in a mess where she is the only innocent one. I have never held the sins of her parents against her and you are the only one I trust to do the same.” he replied and at the mention of her parents, the old familiar hatred returned to Kyoshi’s heart. She seemed destined to never escape their twisted shadow. They were an old wound that never healed, even now they threatened her new life even though they were no longer in it. She couldn’t help but clench her hands into tiny fists. It was all she could do against her rising anger. Thankfully unlike her, Hei-Ran didn’t seem outraged by the revelation, only a little surprised! Nevertheless she pressed her fist into her open palm, a gesture used by all those who called the Fire Nation home.</p><p>“I swear upon my honour that I will keep Kyoshi safe should anything happen to you, nor will I judge her by the sins of her parents.” Hei-Ran ended her solemn oath with a low bow, however as she straightened up she gave Kelsang a sceptical look. “I just hope I never have to, I would rather you stay around to do it.” she said and at that, Kelsang threw back his head as he started laughing.</p><p>“I promise that I don’t plan on going anywhere ever! I am going to stick around forever so I can watch Kyoshi grow up.” he managed to say once his laughter settled into a deep chuckle. Hei-Ran just shook her head but Kyoshi could see a small smile upon her lips. It felt like in this particular moment that everything was right with the world, even if she did have a lot to think about given all she had just learnt. Nevertheless, Kelsang said he was going to be in her life forever and that was good enough for her. Kyoshi decided that she didn’t need the milk after all.</p><p>Carefully so as not to make any noise, she backed away from the stairs and headed to her room. Settling beneath her blanket, she let the comforting thoughts of the life she and Kelsang were to share together lull her to sleep.</p><p>~~~~</p><p>Rangi could see the great sadness in Kyoshi’s eyes as she finished her story. The fact that she was here, hidden away in a vast forest, could only mean that Kelsang’s greatest fear had come true. The shadow cast by her parents had caught up with her and robbed her of her happiness.</p><p>“I’m so sorry,” Rangi said softly, it was all she could offer the grieving woman that sat broken before her. Kyoshi seemed to appreciate the sentiment, acknowledging it with a nod of her head.</p><p>“He gave his life so that I could escape. After that, Hei-Ran brought me here to hide me as far from civilisation as possible.” she said, yet as she did so Rangi saw an emotion that she didn’t expect and that was guilt. “I am sorry for all the damage I have caused to the relationship between you and your mother. I know that her moving away was the reason for the huge rift between the two of you and it was all my fault.” Kyoshi continued as she looked down at her hands, clearly too ashamed to meet Rangi’s eyes. It was obvious from the way that Kyoshi described the woman that it could be no-one else but Hei-Ran. It was her devotion to her honour-bound promise to Kelsang that kept her from telling Rangi the truth. It was that which caused the conflict between her and her mother, not Kyoshi. Yet she still appeared to blame herself for something entirely beyond her control. Rangi wondered how someone who had suffered such horrendous losses could remain so kind-hearted. Whatever the reason, she wasn’t going to sit idly by and let her continue to beat herself up over it! Slowly and carefully, she leaned to the side so she could reach over to take her hand. Her wounds began to strain due to her movement, but it was a pain she would gladly suffer to see Kyoshi smile again. She gave her hand a gentle squeeze, both to reassure her and to get her attention.</p><p>“None of this is your fault! My mother chose to keep this all a secret, which was her decision and not yours.” Rangi said and thankfully as she did so, slowly but surely Kyoshi lifted her gaze to look at her. She could still see the self-doubt lingering in her eyes but it had lessened. An idea popped into Rangi’s head, as a way to banish all such thoughts from Kyoshi’s mind, once and for all. She released her hand so that she could press her fist into her open palm, an echo of the gesture that Hei-Ran used all those years ago. “I will give you the same promise that my mother gave you before. I will never judge you on the sins of those who came before you. All that matters to me is who you are and what you do right now.” Kyoshi looked at her for a moment in total disbelief, like she couldn’t quite comprehend what she had just heard. Yet as the truth of what Rangi said began to sink in, the shock on her face faded and in its place formed a gentle smile. Rangi felt her heart lift at the sight of it. She wondered if somehow the glow of the fire had intensified for the whole room seemed suddenly brighter. </p><p>Nevertheless as happy as Rangi was, her thoughts drifted to her mother. In all the years they were apart, she had cursed Hei-Ran’s very name for abandoning her honour when the opposite was true. She had given up everything to preserve it. All Rangi desired to do more than anything was to see her again. She wanted to apologise and hear her mother’s side of the story, but mostly she just wanted to talk like they used to. She felt like she was finally taking the first step on the path to fixing what they had both broken long ago.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I want to just take a moment to thank everyone who has commented on, left kudos and bookmarked my fic! They truly mean the world to me and I’m so grateful as they are the fuel to the fire that keeps me writing my fic (along with my love for Rangshi of course! :P). I never imagined when I started writing this back in November that it would get so much love! Also before people panic this might be a “thank you for your support but I’m ending it here” kind-of post, it is not! I’m just so happy about all the support I have been getting, I just wanted to let people know! -^^- I most definitely WILL be finishing this story even if it kills me!</p><p>However it does bring me onto a little bit of bad news! I am going away on a 5 days course next week due to work. This does mean that the next chapter will be delayed slightly because of that. I apologize for this but the course is kind-of important, seeing as it’s for my job. I need the money so I keep wasting it on Dnd books and Mtg cards…I’m such a nerd!! ^^;</p><p>Thank you again for everyone’s support! &lt;3 ^^</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. A Soldier’s Purpose</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Rangi is haunted by the sins of her past but finds hope in the present.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Rangi stared out across the remains of the battle. She felt the cold and cruel grip of fear tighten around her whole body. The battlefield was horribly familiar to her, for it had haunted her nightmares ever since the civil war ended. She had hoped against all odds that coming to Yokoya meant she could escape them. Yet it would seem that even being surrounded by nature wasn’t enough to break free from their talons. The iron-like smell of blood was so strong it burned her nose and eyes. The sky above her was a sickly red, the colour of the dying embers of a fire. The landscape that stretched out before her was barren of any grass. All greenery had been stripped away, leaving nothing but desolate soil and hundreds of weapons littering the ground for as far as the eye could see. Every weapon, whether it be sword, spear or axe was set upright with the tip of its blade stuck into the earth. Rangi knew what each one of these represented, for they marked the spot where a warrior had fallen. She felt her whole body shudder because there were so many, she could count them for a thousand years and still not be finished. They had all fought and died, but for what? How could a single cause justify so much death and destruction?</p><p>Rangi took a slow step forward, but as she put her foot down the sound of a horrible squelch caused her to stop in her tracks. She looked down to see that the soil beneath her was so soaked with blood that it had turned to a disgusting concoction of red mud. The sight of it caused bile to rise in her throat but she fought to hold it back. She needed to be strong and face the horror of what she had just been a part of. Focusing her gaze forward she began to press onward. Her body felt slow and heavy like she was moving through tar, but she forced herself to keep walking. She passed through the poignant graveyard of fallen weapons, some were finely crafted blades of nobility whilst others were little more than rusty hatchets. So many soldiers from so many different walks of life, all equal now in the embrace of the earth. All met their end fighting in a war that divided their nation. In that moment, Rangi wondered if all their sacrifices had been worth it. She closed her eyes in a moment of weakness as she bitterly reflected on everything that had been lost in the civil war, both as a nation and for her personally.</p><p>The distant sound of cheering drew her attention and pulled her from her thoughts. She opened her eyes to see a large mound of earth where previously there was none. Standing on top of the mound was a crowd of people, their weapons raised up in the air in celebration. The sound of their cheering echoed obnoxiously across the battlefield. Rangi clenched her fists at their blatant disrespect. How dare they rejoice when so many had died?! Whatever their reason, she was not going to stand for it! She stormed towards the crowd ready to unleash her righteous anger at them, but as she drew closer she saw that all the people there were in fact Fire Nation soldiers. On seeing her approach, they all became quiet but their gleeful smiles remained on their faces. As she walked towards the crowd, they parted to reveal a finely-dressed man who stood at the centre of their gathering. On seeing him, Rangi froze as she instantly recognized Zoryu, the Fire Lord that she had helped to crown. His clean-shaven face looked just as smug as she remembered. It wasn’t helped by the gleaming gold five-pronged headpiece stuck into his topknot. On seeing Rangi stood before him, Zoryu’s grin grew even broader and he threw his arms wide open.</p><p>“There she is! The heroine of our great and honourable nation. She who slew a hundred enemy soldiers!” he announced proudly, more to the crowd than to Rangi even though he kept his eyes firmly fixed upon her. The number he stated was a huge over-exaggeration but it didn’t matter. It could be one or one thousand, she would have the blood of her fellow warriors on her conscience either way. She shook her head, desperately trying to block out his words. Rangi wasn’t a hero and him calling her as such only made her guilt worse. However on seeing her troubled reaction, Zoryu merely laughed at her. “Why deny who you are Rangi? You are a killer that brought all those who opposed me to justice. You should come forth and receive the honour you have so rightly earned.” Zoryu said as he extended his hand towards her and beckoned her forwards. Rangi instinctively took a step away from him in disgust. This wasn’t the honour she had fought so hard for. She wanted to protect the Fire Nation and all the people who called it home, but instead all she had done was hurt them. She couldn’t face Zoryu because he represented everything she hated about the civil war. The only difference between him and the men she had battled so hard to defeat were the emblem on their banners.</p><p>So many dead but with so little gained and yet he called her a hero. Everything was all so twisted and wrong and with no end in sight. Panicking and with nowhere left to go, all she could do was turn and flee. From behind her she could hear the horrible mocking laughter of Zoryu and the soldiers surrounding him.</p><p>“You cannot escape your guilt, Rangi.” the Fire Lord’s booming voice called out and even running as fast as her legs could carry her, she knew he was right. Even so, she just needed to get away from him, no matter what. Rangi closed her eyes as she fled, trying desperately to block out the noise and the visions but it was no use. Suddenly she was brought to an abrupt halt as she felt herself sink up to her ankles into the mud. She looked down in confusion and panic, trying urgently to pull herself free but she was stuck. The dirt and mud had an iron grip on her legs, making it impossible to pull herself free. As blind terror began to fill all of Rangi’s senses, she reached down to try to dig at the ground with her bare hands. She clawed so frantically that her fingertips began to bleed, but it was no use. In desperation she looked around, searching for something to help dig herself out, but as she did so, something strange began to happen. The mud surrounding her began to rise up in a myriad of strange mounds, making it look almost like the earth itself was boiling. As they continued to grow in size, the sludge began to flow off them to reveal the horror of what lay within them. They were Fire Nation soldiers rising from within the dirt, dressed in tattered and torn uniforms. As disturbing as they were, it wasn’t until Rangi saw their faces that the true terror was revealed to her. They were all people she had once fought alongside in the army, yet they were also the ones who had sided with the Saowon Clan. Subsequently, she had faced them all in battle and recognised these as the ones that she had killed. Each one of them wore a twisted smile on their lips and their eyes burned with revenge. They were comrades turned enemies whose faces still haunted her. Now they had her outnumbered and surrounded.</p><p>Slowly they all moved towards her, their movement unnatural and sluggish. Rangi tried desperately to fight them off, throwing wild punches in every direction, but it was useless. There were simply too many of them. Their cold hands grabbed at her and pulled her down, causing her to sink deeper into the mud. She tried to scream but she couldn’t make a sound, her voice had been silenced. All she could do was struggle helplessly as she sunk into the dirt, dragged in by those she had wronged. Eyes widened in pure terror, Rangi could do nothing as she was swallowed by the blood-soaked earth.</p><p>~~~~</p><p>Rangi’s eyes burst open as she woke with a start. Despite being awake, she could still feel the cold suffocating grip of the mud as it consumed her whole body. Dazed and confused, she lunged forward, sitting up rigidly straight in the bed. She briefly felt as if her forehead had collided with something but the sensation quickly passed. Instead it took her a moment to realise that she was free from her earthy prison and it was, in truth, just a dream. Even with that understanding, her body still felt the effects of her vision. Rangi could feel her heart pounding in her chest and her skin was damp with a cold sweat. Not only that, but she could also feel herself trembling violently, all signs of how tightly she was gripped by panic. In an effort to calm herself, she took a series of small sharp inhalations. Slowly but surely, she felt her heart rate begin to drop and her eyesight begin to clear. Taking one last deep breath, she became aware of a strange noise filling the room. She looked over to see where it was coming from and was surprised to see it was from Kyoshi who was crouching on the floor, holding one of her hands over her face. It wasn’t until Rangi saw a few drops of blood hit the floorboards that she realised in horror what had happened. Earlier when she sprang forward in her confused state, her not-so-soft forehead had collided with Kyoshi’s not-so-hard nose.</p><p>“Damn it!” she cursed as she leapt out of bed, panicking now for a whole different reason. On hearing her approaching, Kyoshi turned to face her. Rangi could clearly see the blood streaming down her chin, only slightly obstructed by her hand. For a brief moment, Kyoshi looked at her with a worried expression and Rangi was scared that she might be afraid of her. However it only took her a second to realise that her concern was for Rangi’s welfare. She had to stop herself saying out loud that Kyoshi had rocks for brains as she clearly needed to be more concerned about herself, seeing as she was the one currently bleeding. Rangi grabbed a nearby cleaning cloth. Whilst it was less than ideal, it would have to do. Gently she took Kyoshi’s hand in hers so she could pull it away from her face, enabling her to place the rag in her grip. Taking the hint, Kyoshi placed it against her nose to help absorb the blood. Whilst Rangi was doing this, the tall woman looked more than a little bewildered. In fact, to her eyes Kyoshi’s cheeks looked quite red but she put it down to the blow she had just received. Maybe she had been hit harder than Rangi had first thought. However, it was short-lived as Kyoshi quickly snapped out of her daze.</p><p>“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you!” she said, her voice sounding somewhat strange due to her blocked nose. Rangi looked at her in complete shock!</p><p>“Why in the name of the spirits are you apologising to me? You are the one with a bleeding nose which I caused!” she shouted at her, unable to contain her frustration. Once again Kyoshi was blaming herself for something that wasn’t her fault.  Whilst Rangi secretly admired how kind-hearted Kyoshi was, she still wished that she would stick up for herself more. But in response she just shrugged, seemingly unfazed by Rangi’s outburst.</p><p>“You are tossing and turning in your sleep a lot. I came over to check you were alright when you suddenly sat up and well…” Kyoshi paused to gesture towards her nose with her free hand. She was obviously implying that was when she sustained her injury. Rangi let out a long annoyed sigh, angry that her stupid nightmare had caused her to harm someone she deeply cared about.</p><p>“I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you.” Rangi replied unable to keep the overwhelming guilt from her voice. Thankfully Kyoshi just shook her head at her, with no hint of blame in her eyes.</p><p>“I know that, it was merely an accident. You are helping me now so that more than makes up for any damage done.” It didn’t sound like a fair deal to Rangi but she wasn’t going to argue with her right now, instead choosing to focus on making sure she was alright. Carefully she pulled Kyoshi’s hand away from her face and held the cloth lower to reveal the upper part of her nose. She gently ran her forefinger and thumb down its sides. Luckily the bone underneath felt intact so that was at least one positive thing to come out of this mess. However once again Kyoshi’s cheeks suddenly looked very flushed.</p><p>“Well your nose isn’t broken which is good, just remember to keep your head forward, other than that are you feeling alright?” she asked, slightly worried about her. Kyoshi just nodded her head and smiled at her but to Rangi she looked rather flustered.</p><p>“I’m fine, just a little sore is all. See for yourself, there is nothing to worry about.” Kyoshi replied and to illustrate her argument she removed the cloth from her nose, her smile growing into a goofy grin. Unfortunately the point she was trying to make was undermined by the small trickle of blood that slowly ran down Kyoshi’s face. Rangi wanted to be angry at her but as she looked at her stupid face all she could do was laugh. Kyoshi was maybe her biggest headache but it was one she would gladly suffer. As she chuckled at her tall friend any thoughts of her terrifying nightmare felt a thousand miles away. </p><p>~~~~</p><p>“How much further do you have to go?” Rangi called out to Kyoshi who was currently just in front of her, leading the way through the forest. Kyoshi just chuckled at Rangi’s childish question, clearly finding humour in her impatience. After cleaning up from the unfortunate incident involving Kyoshi’s nose, they decided it might finally be time to remove Rangi’s stitches. It had been a week since she had woken up in Kyoshi’s care and even before that she had apparently been unconscious for two days. Unfortunately it felt like the longest week of Rangi’s life! She had spent most of it confined to bed and even when she wasn’t, there was very little she could do. The lack of activity was slowly starting to drive her mad. Rangi was a woman of action, like the flames of a blazing fire. She wasn’t one to stay still, but it was something that was sadly a necessity when recovering from such a grievous injury.</p><p>The inflicted change in her pace of life did however give her the opportunity to observe and learn more about her tall new friend. Kyoshi was amazingly well organised, if somewhat clumsy. Her height causing her to bang her head on something on more than one occasion. She was also very hardworking, never leaving any task she undertook until it was finished, even the ones that she could. A slightly more alarming habit that Rangi had noticed was that she never seemed to eat enough. Her portion of food was always much smaller than Rangi’s. She had tried to bring it up a couple of times, but Kyoshi always came up with some half-hearted excuse. It seemed that Rangi was always discovering something new about Kyoshi every day. Not that she really minded, in fact she would say it was quite the opposite. Even this morning she learned that for someone with such large hands, Kyoshi was surprisingly delicate. Rangi had watched as she removed her stitches with such care that she felt even if she had been made of the finest porcelain, she would not have broken. Once she had finished removing Rangi’s stitches, Kyoshi announced that she had a surprise for Rangi before filling up a pack whilst sneakily not letting her see its contents. Kyoshi took the lead as they trekked through the forest that had been instrumental in the situation they found themselves in.</p><p>“I promise you it is not much further.” Kyoshi replied with a smile as she looked over her shoulder at Rangi. She let out a long sigh, for it seemed Kyoshi intended to keep her guessing for a bit longer. It wasn’t that Rangi minded surprises, but if she was going to drag herself through the thick undergrowth she needed to know that it was at least worth it. Finally they came to a large rocky outcrop, it was moss-covered and had some small bushes growing on some of its higher peaks. Kyoshi stopped just in front of it and turned to Rangi with a big grin on her face. “We are here!” Kyoshi proclaimed proudly, but Rangi just looked at her with a raised eyebrow. She really hoped she hadn’t walked all this way for a rock! Thankfully she didn’t need to say anything as Kyoshi seemed to guess what she was thinking based purely on her unimpressed expression. “Don’t worry, I swear it will all become clear soon.” she said as she began to walk towards the outcrop, beckoning Rangi to follow. Curious but with her expectations suitably lowered, she followed after her.</p><p>Kyoshi went around the crag, sticking to its edge until she finally came upon a small gap in the rock face. It was only just wide enough for a person to squeeze through and was so well hidden that Rangi doubted that she could ever find it unless Kyoshi was with her. Before she could question her tall friend further, Kyoshi walked up to it and edged her way through the opening. Once she was through she quickly disappeared from view, leaving Rangi momentarily confused as to whether she was meant to follow her or not. With a shrug she decided she may as well, thinking that if Kyoshi didn’t want her to then she would have already said something. Rangi walked up to the gap and squeezed between the two rock faces, her mind drifting back to when she had to do something similar at the town gate when she first arrived at Yokoya. Making her way through, Rangi found herself on a thin dirt path that weaved its way through the steep cliff sides. Her curiosity was growing as the mystery of Kyoshi’s surprise seemed only to be increasing. As her thoughts drifted to the woman in question, she realised that Kyoshi was nowhere to be seen. Rangi felt a little worried about where she had disappeared to, but quickly reassured herself that Kyoshi couldn’t have gone very far.</p><p>“You still there?” Rangi shouted out, her voice echoing dramatically in the small space.</p><p>“I’m up ahead, just follow the path.” Kyoshi called back, luckily her voice didn’t sound too far away. With a long sigh Rangi set off once again, sticking to the trail as instructed. Whilst she appreciated Kyoshi wanting to surprise her, Rangi’s patience was starting to wear a little thin.</p><p>“Look Kyoshi, I understand the sentiment but can’t you just tell me when we are…” Rangi began to say as she rounded a large boulder that lay in her path, but never quite finished her sentence as the sight before her took her breath away. Before her was a stunningly beautiful onsen nestled in the rocky basin. It was fairly small in size and could probably only fit four people in it comfortably. The steam rose like morning mist into the open sky above. Soft grass surrounded the hot spring along with a few patches of iris flowers, all in full bloom and in a variety of beautiful bright colours. On the far side of the pool was a small sakura tree, its branches of soft pink blossoms reaching out over the water. Kyoshi was currently knelt down by the edge of the onsen taking out a few stray twigs and leaves that were floating on the surface of the water, however she left in the sakura petals that were there. On hearing Rangi approach, she quickly jumped to her feet and turned to face her.</p><p>“Surprise!” she yelled, opening her arms out as wide as the smile on her face. Rangi was temporarily lost for words. Of all the things she expected to find, a hot spring was not one of them. Thankfully it didn’t take long for her brain to begin working again.</p><p>“How in the name of the spirits did you find this place?” Rangi asked as she walked up to Kyoshi to stand beside her on the water’s edge. Now that she was closer to the onsen, she could smell the faint but familiar smell of sulphur in the air. Kyoshi let out a chuckle which gave Rangi the impression that it was probably a funny story.</p><p>“It was completely by accident, I was trying to get out of the rain. I spotted the gap in the rock face and thought it might lead to a cave or at least something that would provide me some shelter. It obviously was not what I was expecting, but this was so much better.” Kyoshi replied as she turned to Rangi and whilst her smile wasn’t as wide as before, it had changed into her normal gentle one. “I thought that you might appreciate a warm soak after having been stuck in bed for so long. Plus your stitches are out now so you are able to.” Rangi looked between Kyoshi and the water. She couldn’t think of anything she wanted to do more, but her sense of caution was holding her back.</p><p>“Are you sure it is safe?” she questioned, her mind bringing up images of vicious wild animals and roaming hordes of bandits, neither of which she wanted to fight in a state of undress. Kyoshi once again chuckled at her question, seemingly unsurprised by her need for reassurance. </p><p>“The outcrop is too steep to climb, so there is no fear of anyone dropping in from above. The only other entrance is the one you just used, which is too small for anything larger than a fox to slip through.” Kyoshi replied and whilst Rangi felt her protests beginning to fall away, there was one question that remained.</p><p>“Will you be coming in?” Rangi asked, sounding more than a little sheepish as she felt her cheeks grow hot from the blush she knew to be there. She hated to ask but what she hated even more was that she didn’t know what she wanted the answer to be. She watched as Kyoshi’s cheeks also turned bright red as she too blushed deeply, quickly followed by her frantically shaking her head.</p><p>“No, no! I was going to wait behind the boulder till you were finished.” she responded as she rapidly swivelled round to point at the large rock that Rangi had passed on the way to the hot spring. She was unsure whether Kyoshi did this to show which boulder she was talking about or to hide her flushed face. Rangi would have laughed had her own cheeks not been just as red. Instead she felt relieved but also, surprisingly ever so slightly disappointed. The strange combination of emotions confused her greatly, but she was saved from pondering them further when Kyoshi handed her the pack she had been carrying. Opening it, she found it contained a thick woollen towel to dry herself with after she was done. She couldn’t help but smile as it would seem that Kyoshi had truly given their little trip a lot of thought. Rangi looked up at her with a soft smile upon her lips, hoping Kyoshi could see how the warmth in her eyes reflected the warmth in her heart.</p><p>“Thank you,” Rangi said in little more than a whisper, fearing anything more than that would break the intimate stillness between them. Kyoshi responded with a gentle smile of her own, clearly happy that Rangi was happy. </p><p>“You are very welcome,” she replied, her voice just as quiet as Rangi’s. The peaceful moment was shattered when Kyoshi let out an awkward cough. “Anyway… I’ll be behind that rock… so if you need anything that’s where I’ll be. There is no rush… please take all the time you need.” she managed to nervously stutter as she clumsily backed away towards the rock in question, her blush firmly back on her cheeks. She swiftly disappeared behind the rock, leaving Rangi standing beside the onsen with her towel, more than a little confused. In fact she would have stood there in bewilderment for longer if her brain hadn’t kicked in to remind her that she was wasting time.</p><p>Swiftly undressing, she slipped into the warm water which was the most heavenly sensation she had felt in a very long time. The hot spring was just deep enough so that she could sit comfortably with her shoulders just above the surface. It was as if all the tension in her body flowed away with the rising steam. The dirt and grime that she had accumulated during her recovery melted from her body, leaving only a wonderful freshness in its wake. She hoped that the warmth would help her lower back, which was still had spells of being slightly sore during the past week. Clearly she still wasn’t used to sleeping in a bed that wasn’t her own. A content smile formed upon her lips as in her moment of pure bliss she had never been more grateful for Kyoshi. As her thoughts slowly drifted to the tall woman, she couldn’t help but feel a little guilty. Here she was enjoying such glorious relaxation, whilst poor Kyoshi was no doubt sat on the hard dirt ground patiently waiting for her to finish. An idea formed in her head and whilst Kyoshi couldn’t join her, the least Rangi could do was keep her company. Unfortunately she wasn’t the best at holding a conversation.</p><p>“How’s your nose doing?” Rangi asked in a slightly raised voice so that Kyoshi could hear her, however part of her hoped she didn’t as it was the lamest question ever. She wanted to bang her head against a stone wall for sounding so stupid. </p><p>“It’s fine thank you, doesn’t hurt at all now to be honest.” Kyoshi called back having unfortunately heard her question. Thankfully she didn’t seem to think it was as daft as Rangi thought. Whilst she was glad that Kyoshi’s injury hadn’t been more serious, she still felt guilty over the whole incident.</p><p>“I’m so sorry about what happened!” Rangi replied as she let herself sink a little deeper into the water, hoping it might help hide some of the shame she felt. </p><p>“Please don’t worry about it Rangi, I know it was an accident.” She could hear the sincerity in Kyoshi’s voice. It was clear that she had forgiven her, but Rangi would rather her friend didn’t get hurt at all, especially by her own doing. She was briefly distracted by the sound of movement from behind the boulder and wondered what Kyoshi was doing. “Can I ask what you were dreaming about? Whatever it was, it was clearly causing you a lot of distress.” Kyoshi asked and Rangi now understood the reason for the noise. No doubt she was shuffling nervously in anticipation of asking her question, but right now she wasn’t the only one who was nervous. Kyoshi’s inquiry brought forth images from her nightmare that she had tried so desperately to forget all day. Luckily it seemed that Kyoshi realised the reason behind her unusually long pause. “I understand if you don’t want to talk about it.” she continued in a reassuring tone but the more Rangi thought about talking of her fears, the more she didn’t want to. A shiver tore through her whole body despite the heat of the hot spring. A strange quiet hung in the air but Rangi couldn’t think of anything to say to fill the void. However this time, it was Kyoshi who got the conversation started. “You know, Kelsang was sometimes visited by soldiers who had suffered terrible nightmares brought on by what they had witnessed. Often all he would do to help was listen to them as they told their stories. I’m no monk but if you ever want to talk, I’m more than happy to listen.” Kyoshi said and Rangi felt truly touched by her kind offer. There was no pressure or demand for her to open up, only a guarantee that should she need to, Kyoshi would be there. Maybe it was finally time to get it all off of her chest. Rangi had always feared the judgement of others, that they would see her as weak. Yet with Kyoshi she felt no such fear, simply a bond of trust between them. She took a long breath to steady herself and her nerves for what was to come.</p><p>“I wake up on a bloody battlefield, fallen weapons mark the graves of slain warriors. What happens after that changes from one nightmare to the next but it always ends the same way. I get pulled into the earth by soldiers I used to know until it swallows me whole.” Rangi said, worried that any moment now she would hear Kyoshi laughing at how ridiculous her words sounded but it never came.</p><p>“Why would people you know want to harm you in such a way?” Kyoshi asked without a hint of mocking in her voice. It sounded to Rangi that she was standing by her word and was taking what she said seriously. At the innocent question Rangi felt her whole body grow tense. She knew the answer, but the reason behind it lay at the dark heart of her greatest regret. But she had come too far to turn back now.</p><p>“Because I was the one who killed them. People who I once trained and fought with ended up under the banner of Chaejin and the Keohso clan due to their family loyalties. During those four long years of civil war, I ended up meeting some of them in combat. I’m a member of the Sei’naka clan, so I didn’t lose those fights.” Rangi knew as she spoke that the flood gates were well and truly open. Everything she worked so hard to hide within herself was slowly being brought into the light. In talking to Kyoshi, the walls she had built around her heart had started to crumble but instead of letting someone in, she was letting everything out. Yet there was still more to reveal and an even deeper sorrow. “When I joined the army, I dreamed of defending the Fire Nation and its people. But in the end it wasn’t bandits or pirates I fought, but the very same people I swore to protect.” In Rangi’s word was her final confession. The cause of all her guilt, self-loathing and fear. Gone was the proud honour-bound soldier and in her place was little more than an exposed and frightened young woman. She had laid herself bare in front of Kyoshi for judgement, but in truth she had already found herself unworthy. “I’m a terrible person,” she said more to herself than Kyoshi, holding her hands out in front of her. Although they looked clean, in her mind’s eyes she could see how stained with blood they truly were.</p><p>Suddenly the sound of approaching footsteps pulled her from her thoughts. From the fact she could barely hear them, she knew they could only belong to Kyoshi. In a panic, Rangi quickly wrapped her arms around her chest to cover herself. She spun round, her cheeks flushed bright red in embarrassment, ready to give Kyoshi a piece of her mind for the invasion of privacy. However the angry words died in her throat at what she saw. Kyoshi had ripped a strip of fabric from her tunic and tied it around her head, turning it into a makeshift blindfold. Rangi must have been so distracted with her dark thoughts she hadn’t even heard it. She felt her whole body relax as she was left speechless, wondering why Kyoshi had done such a thing. The tall woman before her calmly sat down in front of the boulder, keeping one hand on it all times to guide her. </p><p>“I want to say this to your face so that you will believe me. You are not a terrible person Rangi, because terrible people don’t feel guilt.” Whilst Rangi did appreciate the selflessness of Kyoshi’s gesture and the innocent logic of her words, she just could not believe it. </p><p>“I don’t think it’s that simple.” she replied, her tone slightly more cutting than she would have liked. However she felt it was justified seeing that Kyoshi was making forgiveness sound far too easy. Kyoshi just seemed to dismiss her words as she merely shrugged her shoulders.</p><p>“I think that it is, you just did what you had to do. The country was at war with itself and you fought in order to help end it. You may have taken lives but you saved countless others.” Kyoshi’s words did ring true to Rangi. She had to admit that she had never thought of it that way before. It did help ease some small part of the remorse in her heart, but she couldn’t shake it entirely. Maybe she would never truly be free from it, at least not whilst she stayed so close to the source.</p><p>“That may be true, but the job that I once loved now also fills me with grief and despair.” Rangi said as she let out a long tired sigh. She had hoped that her trip to Yokoya and being away from army life would make her miss it but it hadn’t. In fact if anything it had made her more conflicted.</p><p>“Why not leave the army then?” It was as if Kyoshi was reading her thoughts, but that just made Rangi more annoyed. The blood of a warrior ran through her veins, passed down through generations of the Sei'naka clan. Leaving the Fire Nation army meant leaving behind the only life she had ever known. To stay was daunting, but to head out into the unknown was completely terrifying.</p><p>“Again Kyoshi, it’s not that simple! Being a soldier is all I know. If I leave then I’ll have nothing, I will lose my purpose.” Rangi hoped that if Kyoshi could not see her frustration, then she could at least hear it. What was she to do if she left the army? Become a mercenary like Kirima? The very idea made her shudder! However Kyoshi didn’t look at all bothered by Rangi’s outburst. Instead she took a deep breath as a wave of calm seemed to wash over her.</p><p>“You seem to forget, Rangi, that the path to our destination is not always a straight one. We go down the wrong road, we get lost, we turn back. But what truly matters is that we trust ourselves to embark on the journey.” Rangi looked at Kyoshi with confusion, once again her words did make a lot of sense and gave her much to think about. Rangi had always thought of her life as a single straight path. She had envisioned herself joining the army and dying in service to it or living long enough to retire. A single purpose upon which her whole being revolved. Then again, in her grand plan she never intended to be sat in a hot spring in the middle of a forest talking to a blindfolded giantess! Maybe her life wasn’t as simple as she first thought. She heard the sound of Kyoshi chuckling and turned to see a pleased smile on her lips. Rangi imagined if she could see her eyes they would also be reflecting her amusement. “I can tell you are thinking, so I will leave you to your contemplations.” she said softly as she slowly stood up and brushed herself off. Kyoshi gave her one last gentle smile, the same one that always warmed Rangi’s heart. “You will find your purpose again Rangi. It will be something that fills you with pride and honour once again, I know it will.” With those final words Kyoshi turned to leave, but Rangi wasn’t ready to let her go just yet.</p><p>“Kyoshi, wait!” she called out, sounding more desperate than she would have liked. Kyoshi jumped slightly at the sound, stopping in her tracks and spinning round to face her. She wasn’t looking straight at her, given the blindfold, but it was close enough. “Thank you… for listening and talking with me.” Rangi said in a quiet tone, a little embarrassed to reveal so much of herself to Kyoshi but still grateful all the same. At her comment, Kyoshi merely shrugged her shoulders and smiled.</p><p>“Like I said before, I’m not a monk but I did live with one for a very long time. I like to think I picked up some sagely wisdom along the way.” With that, Kyoshi once again turned and walked away until she disappeared behind the boulder. It was true that Rangi could hear some of Kelsang’s wisdom in what she said, but mostly she felt it was Kyoshi and her kindness that shone through. She took a long deep breath in, it felt like not only had her body been cleansed but also her soul as well. It was like a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders, leaving her feeling lighter. She found herself feeling so incredibly grateful to have Kyoshi in her life. That was until she heard the very distinctive noise of a large body hitting the ground. There were no prizes for guessing what had happened, seeing that Kyoshi was the clumsiest person she knew and she was currently walking around wearing a blindfold. Rangi was about to shout out to ask if she was alright, but Kyoshi beat her to it. “Rangi… I think my nose is bleeding again.” a very muffled and sheepish voice called out. Rangi rolled her eyes as she threw her head back and groaned out loud. Kyoshi was lucky, she was pretty much done with her soak anyway. She made a mental note to stop calling Kyoshi her tall friend and instead refer to her as a big oaf. </p><p>Rangi was currently a warrior without a purpose, but right now protecting Kyoshi from harm seemed the most worthy cause of all.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Once again I'm sorry about the long wait for this one but on the plus side I am once again a qualified lifeguard!!! Woohoo!! ^^</p><p>As I will be heading back to work tomorrow after a VERY long time in lockdown, I'm not sure what my upload schedule will be like going forward (not that I really have one to begin with)! I will try to keep them fairly regular but if they slow down slightly that is why! ^^; I can only apologise and hope that everyone continues to enjoy the story that I am telling.</p><p>Finally I would like to thank FMTomiko for the word giantess, it's mine now and I'm keeping it!! :P</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Return To What Was</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Rangi finally reunites with Hei-Ran and begins to repair what was broken.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The clear morning sun shone through the shifting canopy of leaves above, casting dancing patterns of light upon the forest floor. It was other-worldly and beautiful, yet despite the wondrous display before her Rangi was feeling rather glum. Her wounds were pretty much fully healed and her strength had all but returned so there was no longer a reason for her to stay in the forest. Today was the day she was finally going back to Yokoya. She knew that she should be glad to be returning to the town and more importantly to her mother, but whilst a part of her was pleased, a greater part was saddened. Rangi hated to admit it but she had come to quite enjoy her time in the woods. Once she was no longer confined to bed, her normal burning need for busyness had lessened into a warm glow of contentment. Rangi wasn’t sure if it was being surrounded by nature that had caused such a change within her or the company she had kept. Either way she would miss both, not that she could ever say that out loud. Especially the part about missing Kyoshi most of all. Nevertheless she couldn’t stay hidden away from her duties forever. Luckily Kyoshi had offered to walk with her to Yokoya, which Rangi was very grateful for. She wanted to savour her last few moments alone with Kyoshi. The big oaf had somehow found her way past Rangi’s defences and became something that she never thought she would have - a friend. Yet it was all coming to an abrupt end despite how much she wished it wasn’t.</p><p>The two of them walked in silence towards Yokoya. Whilst Rangi couldn’t speak for the cause of Kyoshi’s quietness, she did wonder if it was for a similar reason to hers. Rangi wanted nothing more than to ask to stay for just a little longer but in her heart she knew she couldn’t. It was too important that Kyoshi’s location remain a well-guarded secret in order to keep her protected. She couldn’t risk Kyoshi’s safety over her selfish desire for friendship. So instead she kept silent in fear that if she spoke her resolve would falter. As they continued onward, the awkwardness hung between them as thick as the morning mist that swirled around their feet. Just as Rangi began to feel like she could no longer take it, Kyoshi abruptly stopped in her tracks. Almost as if she had reached an invisible line in the ground that she could not cross. Rangi turned to her in confusion, but in response Kyoshi looked at her with eyes filled with sadness.</p><p>“This is as far as I can go.” she said in little more than a whisper. Kyoshi raised her hand slightly to point at something behind Rangi. She spun round to see, through the gaps between the trees up ahead, the small grass fields that lay outside of the forest. Beyond that she could just make out the wooden walls that surrounded Yokoya. They had arrived at their journey’s end, which meant their time together was over. Rangi had been so wrapped up in her thoughts that she hadn’t realised how close they were to the edge of the woods and now it was too late. She turned back to Kyoshi but as she looked into her sorrowful grey eyes she suddenly found herself lost for words. Instead she awkwardly rubbed the back of her head.</p><p>“Thank you… for everything you have done for me. I mean, without you I would be dead.” Rangi said self-consciously, thinking of nothing better to say. Thankfully a small smile graced Kyoshi’s lips as she let out a chuckle.</p><p>“You are very welcome,” Kyoshi replied, giving her a small bow. It was a sweet gesture which caused Rangi to smile and respond with a bow of her own. But as quickly as the smile came, it faded again.</p><p>“Well… I guess this is goodbye.” Rangi said, trying to keep her gloominess from her voice. She would hate for her sadness to cause Kyoshi to become upset. However one look at the big oaf and Rangi knew it was already too late.</p><p>“I guess it is,” she replied, averting her gaze to look at the ground, clearly trying to hide the sorrow on her face. Rangi took a deep breath in, she refused to let their parting be marred by unhappiness. She stormed up to Kyoshi, jabbing her index finger into the taller woman’s chest.</p><p>“You are to keep yourself safe, you hear me! I will not have my mother bring you all the way out here for you to get eaten by a bear!” she said in a commanding tone that left no room for argument. Kyoshi looked at her in total shock but it only took her a moment to clearly realise what Rangi was doing. With an amused grin she quickly nodded her head, seemingly happy to let the local bears go hungry. Rangi was just glad that she would be able to remember Kyoshi with a smile on her face. Satisfied, she turned and walked away, however she didn’t get very far before her happiness rapidly faded. The resolve she had worked so hard to keep deserted her. Unable to stop herself, in a moment of weakness she spun round, wanting to see her friend one last time. “Kyoshi, I…” she called out but her heart sank as she saw that no one was there. It was as if the tall woman had disappeared back into the forest like a spirit. Rangi let out a long disheartened sigh, maybe it was better this way for both of them. With nowhere left to go but forwards, she continued on her way.</p><p>She walked through the line of trees that marked the forest’s edge and it was almost like passing between worlds. It felt like she was leaving a place of mystery and wonder and stepping back into the mundane. Rangi had to cover her eyes as the sunlight, no longer filtered by the overhanging leaves, was blinding. Once her vision became used to the brightness, Rangi looked out across the grassy plains towards Yokoya. As she scanned the outer wall, a figure dressed in red drew her attention. Just as when she first arrived at the small town all those weeks ago, Rangi immediately recognised Hei-Ran. Everything about the moment felt oddly familiar apart from one crucial detail and that was how she felt on seeing her mother. She knew much more now than she had done back then. Rangi understood the truth of what Hei-Ran had sacrificed in the name of honour and a sacred promise to a dear friend. Unable to hold back the flood of emotion at seeing her again after everything she had learned, Rangi ran towards her! She knew how stupid and childish she must look but right now she didn’t care. Her heart was overjoyed to see her mother begin to briskly walk out to meet her. Rangi knew that Hei-Ran was far too dignified to run as she herself was currently doing, but the fact she was coming to meet her spoke volumes.</p><p>In the middle of the open grass field between the great forest and the town of Yokoya they came together. Rangi wrapped her arms around Hei-Ran with such force she feared that she might accidentally knock her off her feet but thankfully she remained firm. As she held her mother tightly, she feared for a moment that maybe she wasn’t ready to forgive her yet. However all such thoughts were banished from her mind as she felt Hei-Ran’s arms embrace her in return just as strongly. Rangi was so overcome with a flood of so many different emotions that she was worried her head might explode, so instead she focused on taking short sharp breaths to keep herself from crying.</p><p>“I’m so sorry,” she said in a shaky and broken voice, feeling the tears down her cheeks. It was clear the breathing exercises were not working! She felt Hei-Ran shake her head against her shoulder in response.</p><p>“That doesn't matter right now, all I care about is that you are safe.” Hei-Ran replied, squeezing Rangi a little tighter as she did so. Rangi felt herself melt into her mother’s hug. There would be time for questions later, but right now she was just going to enjoy her moment of harmony in the loving embrace of her mother. A gesture that the two of them hadn’t shared in over four years. </p><p>~~~~</p><p>Rangi felt strange being back in her old room. It hadn’t even really been that long of a time but it felt like a lifetime ago. As she sat down on the bed and surveyed the space, she saw that everything was just as she left it. Outside the door she could hear Hei-Ran dismissing Auntie Mui for the afternoon, despite the older woman’s protests about wanting to help look after the newly returned Rangi. She knew it could only mean one thing, her mother intended to discuss Kyoshi without fear of being overheard. It would seem that her promise to Kelsang was never far from her thoughts. The sound of retreating footsteps told her that Auntie Mui was indeed leaving.</p><p>A moment later, the door opened and Hei-Ran entered the room. She took a second to take in the contents of the room now that Rangi had returned all her stuff to its proper place. Her mother’s eyes fell upon the damaged armour that Rangi had placed on top of the crates in the corner of the room. She watched silently as Hei-Ran’s expression changed into one of grief and guilt. Slowly she walked up to it, tenderly running her fingers over the broken metal and torn fabric. Rangi could hazard a guess at what thoughts were currently running through her mother’s head. They were probably not dissimilar to the ones she had when she too looked at the armour. Rangi’s hand instinctively came to rest on her side, the scars of her near-fatal wounds laying just below her shirt. A brutal reminder of how close to death she had come. Hei-Ran quickly shook her head, as if trying to clear her thoughts from her head. She pulled her hand away from the armour so suddenly it was as though the metal had abruptly become red-hot to the touch.</p><p>“I will speak to the blacksmith about seeing if he can get it fixed.” Hei-Ran said matter-of-factly as she turned to Rangi, her neutral tone a clear cover for the swirling emotions that lay within her eyes. She walked over to the bed, taking a seat on it beside her. She took a deep breath and turned to her with a look of determination on her face. Rangi wasn’t surprised by the expression as it appeared that her mother was going to handle the conversation like she handled most things in her life, headfirst and without fear. “I’m guessing that you have some questions for me.” she announced and Rangi couldn’t help thinking that was the understatement of the century. In all honesty, she had about a thousand questions in her head but in the end they all boiled down to a single crucial one which all the others hinged upon.</p><p>“Why didn’t you tell me?” she asked, it was the one thing that lurked in the back of her mind since Kyoshi’s revelation. The truth could have saved them both a lot of heartbreak. Hei-Ran didn’t look surprised by her question but her shoulders slouched as a look of sadness grew upon her face.</p><p>“I wanted to more than anything but I couldn’t,” Hei-Ran replied but her response wasn’t what Rangi wanted to hear. It was not a reason, it was an excuse and not a very good one!</p><p>“Why not? I wouldn’t have told anyone! Don’t you trust me to keep a secret?” Rangi felt some of her old anger begin to boil to the surface once again. She could understand if she had been young at the time and her mother didn’t want to put her faith in the discretion of a child. However, when Hei-Ran left for Yokoya she had been fifteen and more than capable of holding her tongue. Once again her mother’s body slumped slightly as she regarded Rangi with a shake of her head.</p><p>“Of course I do, but you were safer not knowing at all. If anyone suspected that you knew something, it would have made you a target. I couldn’t risk you getting hurt because of me. Besides, you probably wouldn’t have believed me even if I did tell you.” At her reply, Rangi let out a long groan. It was so typical of her mother to disarm her with ironclad logic. She sometimes felt that Hei-Ran was so used to Rangi losing her temper that she mastered the art of debate just to calm her. She could have admired that about her if it wasn’t so infuriating. Still there was one thing that Rangi couldn’t forgive her for failing to tell her.</p><p>“You never told me about Kelsang.” she said softly as she looked down at her hands. She still couldn’t believe he was gone. It was strange to think that she would never again see the man who had once been like a father to her. In a way, she still hadn’t fully processed it. Hei-Ran reached over to gently take Rangi’s hand in hers and gave it a reassuring squeeze.</p><p>“I’m truly sorry about that, I know how much Kelsang meant to you. It all just happened so fast.” she replied and as Rangi turned to look at her, she saw the depth of her sorrow upon her face. It was easy to forget that Kelsang was her mother’s closest friend and just like herself, Hei-Ran didn’t make those easily. She watched as her mother let out a long sigh and turned away. But Rangi saw her distant expression, which clearly meant her mind had drifted back into her memories.</p><p>“I received a letter informing me of his death. I knew Kyoshi was in danger so I needed to act quickly. Kelsang was a clever man so he told me of a hidden shrine where I could find her should anything happen to him. When I went there and saw her…” Hei-Ran paused as a shiver rippled through her whole body. A look briefly appeared in her eyes of such intense heartbreak that Rangi felt her whole body go cold. Her mother blinked a couple of times and quickly shook her head, it almost looked as if she was so lost in her memories that she forgot where she was for a moment. Rangi wondered what she had remembered that caused such a reaction but one glance at Hei-Ran’s face and she wasn’t so sure she wanted to know. “She was so lost and broken.” she continued and now Rangi understood a small part of the reason behind the sorrow she had witnessed. She had seen how the grief had consumed Kyoshi when she had spoken about Kelsang, she didn’t want to imagine what it must have been like when the wound was still fresh and raw.</p><p>“I understand,” Rangi replied as she looked at the floor, trying not to think about how much Kyoshi had suffered through no fault of her own. She felt her mother’s hand move to tightly grip her shoulder. Rangi turned to her and was met with a worried expression.</p><p>“Kyoshi is a very special young woman but it wasn’t an easy decision to make to leave you behind. I want you to know that no matter what, you will always be my daughter.” Rangi was momentarily confused by Hei-Ran's seemingly random comment until suddenly it clicked in her mind. She had misinterpreted Rangi’s sadness as her being upset that Kyoshi had replaced her in Hei-Ran’s life when that couldn’t be further from the truth. </p><p>“No, no, I get that! What I meant was that I understand you wanting to help her. Kyoshi is a good person trapped in a bad situation. I owe her my life, after all.” Rangi said as she frantically shook her head and waved her hands out in front of her, hoping her mother got the message about how wrong she was. Hei-Ran let out a sigh of relief but no sooner had she done so than her eyes drifted away to stare at the far wall. </p><p>“For that she has my eternal gratitude.” she said so softly that Rangi could barely hear her, almost like she was speaking more to herself than anyone else. Wondering what had drawn her mother’s attention, Rangi turned her head to follow her eye line and was met with the sight of her father’s portrait. It was staring directly at them both from the spot where she had placed it all those weeks ago. After everything that had happened between them, it was easy to forget there was a time when they had been each other’s anchor in the world. One helping the other to cope with the death of a husband and a father. Rangi may have been very young when it happened but she still remembered hugging her mother with all her strength, knowing that Hei-Ran needed it just as much as she did. They were all they had left in the world before bitterness had torn them apart. Maybe now they could return to that forgotten happiness. Rangi reached over to take her mother’s hand in hers. This time, she was the one offering comfort.</p><p>“You are not going to lose me,” Rangi said as she gave her hand a gentle squeeze. She was relieved when she saw a soft smile spread across Hei-Ran’s lips.</p><p>“I hope not, I have a lot of missed time to catch up on.” she replied and now Rangi felt a smile also grow on her lips. She very much liked the sound of that but she couldn’t help feeling like they had drifted slightly off topic and she still had questions to ask. She slowly pulled her hand back and let out an awkward cough as she tried to refocus. Rangi was slightly embarrassed to have gotten so sentimental with her mother but they were all things that needed to be said.</p><p>“Speaking of Kyoshi, is she the reason you called me here?” Rangi asked and was wholly unsurprised when her mother nodded, her face swiftly turning very serious.</p><p>“Yes, I fear the sudden increase in bandit attacks may be the work of someone trying to get to her. Hence my fear when you showed me those Ba Sing Se coins. That place is a hotbed of Daofei activity and it is very likely that her parents could still be active there.” Hei-Ran replied as she placed her hand upon her chin. She was so deep in thought that Rangi could imagine the wheels turning in her brain. For her part Rangi was angrier at Kyoshi’s criminal parents, as if she needed any more reason to loathe them.</p><p>“Well, now I know more about the situation I will be better equipped to help.” Rangi said, knowing she was interrupting her mother’s thinking but she also wanted to prompt her to include her in any future plans. Hei-Ran turned to her with a look of total disbelief on her face.</p><p>“You still want to stay and protect Kyoshi? Even though I brought you here under false pretences?” she asked but in response Rangi just shrugged, trying to downplay her desire to safeguard Kyoshi especially in front of her mother.</p><p>“Of course, like I said when I first arrived, it was my honour to come. I am duty-bound to answer the call of a family member in need, no matter the mission. The only difference is that now I know what I’m fighting for.” Rangi replied, but as she spoke her mind wandered back to think about what she used to fight for. She looked down at her hands as they rested in her lap and turned them over so they were palms up. Yet as she stared at them, the blood that she normally imagined them soaked in was strangely absent. Maybe Kyoshi was right, maybe a change of purpose would be good for her. “Feels better to be protecting rather than destroying.” she said more to herself than anyone else. However as she once again felt her mother’s hand squeeze her shoulder, it was clear that she had heard her and understood what it was Rangi was referring to.</p><p>“I understand, the civil war was hard on all of us.” Rangi looked at Hei-Ran with a raised eyebrow. She was trying to not let herself get cross at her mother but was currently finding that quite difficult. How would she know what it was like when she was miles from the nearest conflict?</p><p>“You were not even part of the fighting!” Rangi didn’t want her frustration to accidentally cause her to raise her voice but even to her own ears she knew she had failed. Thankfully Hei-Ran didn’t look insulted by her comment and instead just gave Rangi a stern stare.</p><p>“I may not have been on the frontlines but that doesn’t mean I wasn’t part of the war.” Her mother looked at Rangi with an expression that was all too familiar to her. Hei-Ran wanted her to figure out what she meant on her own. When she was younger it was normally a word she couldn’t spell or a problem she couldn’t work out but this was an altogether more complex puzzle to solve. Suddenly it came to her like being struck by a bolt of lightning. The army was full of people who didn’t fight and most of them were the ones coming up with the strategy.</p><p>“By the spirits, you helped advise with the war didn’t you?” Rangi couldn’t help but sound flabbergasted but at the same time it wasn’t that surprising. She should have known that you can take the commander out of the army but you can’t take the army out of the commander. Hei-Ran just gave her a sly smile and Rangi couldn’t tell if she was proud that she had worked it out or just plain smug that she had outsmarted her.</p><p>“I did offer my years of experience when and where it was needed.” If there was any doubt before, then her mother’s tone of voice made it painfully obvious. She was in fact just plain smug! “It was decided that it would be kept a secret in case the enemy caught wind of our agreement. I was rather vulnerable out here, it wouldn’t take much for them to send an assassin or small squadron of soldiers to kill me.” she said so casually, it was as if the idea of being killed was little more than an inconvenience. Then again, Rangi guessed that when you had been in the army as long as her mother, it was seen as an occupational hazard. Nevertheless it was hugely frustrating to Rangi that everything she had believed for the last four years had been destroyed in less than a week. Whilst she was glad that they were all positive things, it was just a lot to take in. Her mind felt like it was being pulled in so many different directions that all Rangi wanted to do was take a nap. She let out a loud annoyed groan and flopped backwards onto the bed.</p><p>“This is all too much!” she grumbled as she shut her eyes and rested her forearm across them, trying desperately to block out the world. Rangi felt the bed shift beneath her as Hei-Ran stood up.</p><p>“I will leave you be so you can get settled back in.” she said softly, clearly understanding the need for Rangi to process everything in peace. She heard the sound of her mother’s retreating footsteps but she couldn’t let her go without asking her one last question that was bothering her.</p><p>“What about when you said that the Fire Nation has some of the best military minds and one less didn’t matter?” Rangi asked as she mustered the energy to sit up straight. She vividly remembered her mother saying those exact words during their disastrous dinner conversation on Rangi’s first night in Yokoya. It seemed like an awfully big risk to take if Hei-Ran truly believed her own words. Slowly her mother turned to her and simply shrugged her shoulders.</p><p>“It is true, however it does matter when you are the best military mind in the whole Fire Nation.” she replied with a coy grin upon her lips. If Rangi thought her mother was smug before, it didn’t hold a candle to how she was now. She wouldn’t be surprised if Zoryu himself had asked for her help to win the war. Before Rangi could say anything further, Hei-Ran turned and left the room. Closing the door behind her she left Rangi alone with her thoughts. It was probably for the best as she wasn’t sure how much more of her mother’s self-satisfaction she could take. It felt as if her whole world had been turned on its head and yet despite all that she couldn’t stop herself from smiling. The only thing missing from this perfect moment was a certain tall oaf. </p><p> ~~~~</p><p>Kyoshi opened the door to her home and stepped inside. As she looked around the empty space, she couldn’t help letting out a long sad sigh. She hadn’t even known Rangi for that long, yet she found herself missing her terribly. The young soldier was like a glowing piece of coal that made the room brighter and warmer just by being in it. Kyoshi enjoyed her company more than she cared to admit. She didn’t have any friends growing up, in fact it was quite the opposite. The village children had taken every opportunity they could to beat and torment her. She never fought back for fear that she might accidentally hurt them, instead letting the blows rain down upon her. Kyoshi was glad that if she were truly to make a friend for the first time that it was Rangi. The proud and headstrong woman who, despite her fearsome exterior had tender kindness in her eyes. She just hoped that Rangi also thought of her as a friend.</p><p>However their time together had been too short. As much as she wished Rangi could stay, it was unfair to try and keep her in Kyoshi’s gilded cage. She was surrounded by the beautiful embrace of nature and yet was unable to escape it. The moment that Rangi’s back was turned after saying their goodbyes, Kyoshi had hid, her back pressed flush against the bark of a nearby large tree. When she had heard Rangi call out her name, it had taken all her strength and willpower to remain where she was. Now, having returned to her humble abode, she found herself longing for something that was never meant to be. Kyoshi was used to being alone but this was the first time since coming here that she felt lonely. Yet she had to remind herself that this was for the best.</p><p>The greater the distance between them, the more Rangi would be protected from the dark and violent shadow that haunted Kyoshi’s every step. It was better if things returned to how they were before, no matter how much it broke her heart.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Work is being a bit crazy atm so no idea when the next chapter will be out but I promise you good people that I am currently working on it!! ^^ Apart from that I don't really have anything exciting to say ^^; </p><p>Don't forget to drink plenty of water and call your mother once in a while!! I like to ring mine when she is watching TV just to make sure I interrupt her favourite programs!! ;P</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Secret Kyoshi Society</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Rangi returns to life in Yokoya and in the process a plan of attack begins to take shape.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>As Rangi walked the familiar streets of Yokoya, she felt relief at the sense of normality after such a long period of chaos. Her mother had insisted she get checked out by Atuat before letting her return to her duties at the garrison. Whilst Rangi was happy to see the healer again, she couldn’t help thinking the visit was a little pointless. Atuat spent most of the check-up commending Kyoshi’s stitching, coming to the same question that Rangi had about how someone with such large hands could undertake such delicate work. She did learn something new, however, and that was that Atuat was the one who provided Kyoshi with all of her medical supplies. It made sense that they came to know each other through this, as apparently the big oaf had a habit of frequently injuring herself. Yet when Rangi asked for details, the healer went strangely tight-lipped. She guessed that either Kyoshi was clumsier than she first thought or the forest was more dangerous than it appeared. Both options filled Rangi with a sinking feeling of dread. Unfortunately it wasn’t like she could ask the woman in question for clarification. She just had to take comfort in the fact that Kyoshi was getting the best healing materials from the best healer. Not that she would tell Atuat that, it wasn’t like the woman’s ego needed any more boosting.</p><p>With a clean bill of health, she left the clinic with a fire in her belly to finally get back to work. It was only when she was too far away from the healer’s hut that she remembered that she had meant to ask Atuat about her bad back. Rangi had hoped that returning to her own bed meant that the pain would ease off, however the opposite had happened. The pain had only increased since returning. It didn’t really affect her day-to-day activities too much and there was only the occasional bout of discomfort. But in the moment she had totally forgotten to say anything, not that she could really get a word in with Atuat’s constant talking. Rangi would try to remember next time she saw her if it hadn’t already healed on its own by then. Nevertheless as the garrison finally came into view, all thoughts of her mysterious and unexplained injury were pushed to the back of her mind.</p><p>She tried not to be surprised when, upon entering the training ground, she found all three members of the Flying Opera Company sat around chatting with one another, but she couldn’t find it in herself to be mad at them. It was comforting to know that some things never changed when so much else had. Upon hearing her approach, the three of them turned in her direction and Rangi’s heart warmed slightly as they all smiled happily at seeing her.</p><p>“Well, well, well! Look who is back from the dead!” Kirima called out as she stood up to greet her. At the tribeswoman's familiar tone of overwhelming sarcasm and underlying caring, Rangi definitely knew that some things never changed.</p><p>“Nice to see you too, Kirima!” she replied, matching Kirima’s mockery with her own as she closed the distance between them. Yet as Rangi saw her eyes soften, she knew the gentle teasing was appreciated. During their brief exchange, the two guys also rose to their feet in order to greet her.</p><p>“Welcome back,” Wong said as he placed a comforting hand upon Rangi’s shoulder. Lek on the other hand was trying way too hard to act unfazed by her return, putting on a face of false casualness.</p><p>“To be honest, I didn’t even notice you were gone.” he commented as he shrugged his shoulders, doing his best to look indifferent and very much failing to do so. However, at the looks that appeared on Kirima’s and Wong’s faces, it was clear that they had seen through his façade just as much as Rangi.</p><p>“Really?” Kirima asked with a raised eyebrow in a tone that signalled the obvious teasing to come. “So it wasn’t you that kept pestering poor Mistress Hei-Ran by asking if Rangi was alright?” At her comment, Lek’s cheeks turned bright red. He quickly tried to regain some of his lost composure, crossing his arms with a scowl on his face.</p><p>“I was only asking because if she died, we would have to pick up the extra slack and do more work!” If Lek’s flushed face hadn’t already given away his clear lie, then his tone of voice did. </p><p>“If you say so Lek,” Rangi replied with a coy smile, letting him subtly know that she was onto him. However, at his apparent sense of concern, she decided to drop the subject and let him escape with at least some of his pride left intact. Thankfully Wong also appeared to take pity on him and came to his rescue.</p><p>“So you managed to take down a bear?” he asked with an impressed look in his eyes. Upon seeing his admiration, Rangi felt bad that it wasn’t true. She and Hei-Ran had discussed the cover story previously to explain her injury and absence. Whilst her mother knew the truth, they decided between them to keep the true nature of the creature that attacked her a secret. They feared that if the townsfolk thought there were wrathful corrupted spirits lurking in the forest that it might cause a panic. Given the type of wound she had suffered, a bear seemed the most believable choice of assailant and also the “reason” she had been recovering at home for so long. Yet as she thought more on the subject, the more Rangi realised that Kyoshi had never actually asked what had attacked her. She had a sneaking suspicion that somehow she already knew. Maybe living in the forest, it wasn't the first time Kyoshi had come across such a creature. However she could not dwell on the topic for long, as Lek’s attention was fixated on hearing Rangi’s response to Wong’s question. Clearly his love for excitement and adventure was shining through once more.</p><p>“That is so awesome! How big was it?” he asked, practically bouncing on the balls of his feet with anticipation. Rangi was a little perplexed by his question. Surely a bear was just a bear even if it was imaginary, so why did it matter what size it was?</p><p>“I don’t know… bear sized.” she replied with a shrug of her shoulders. Lek was clearly disappointed with her answer, looking like a limp flag after the wind had stopped blowing. He threw up his arms in frustration, followed by a loud and over-dramatic groan!</p><p>“You are the worst storyteller ever! In this opera company, you are definitely the worst member!” Rangi creased her brow at Lek, his judgement seemed a little harsh even if it was probably true. However he had forgotten one very important detail, just like her bear the opera company was just a cover story. When it came to the real deal, she vastly outclassed him.</p><p>“Well, it’s a good thing we are warriors then and not performers.” she said with a sly grin, having outsmarted Lek at his own game of words. A frown grew on the young man’s face for he could not deny the truth of her words. With the matter settled, Rangi decided it was time to get down to the business at hand. She turned to Wong and Kirima, feeling that they were the sensible ones to discuss the matter with. Something that felt very strange to think about, given everything she knew about the two of them.</p><p>“What has been the situation here whilst I have been away?” she asked, the soldier in her coming to the surface once again. Her time of rest was over, she was back to work and that started with a status update. Clearly understanding what she was doing, Wong’s face turned solemn and as it did so, Rangi felt her heart sink. She didn’t know why, but the first thought that popped into her head was Kyoshi and hoping that she was alright. She feared that something might have happened with the bandits that could put her in danger. She had hoped that returning to her job would be a distraction from missing the big oaf, but she had underestimated how deeply intertwined they both truly were.</p><p>“Whatever you did in the forest had them running scared as the attacks stopped, but it didn’t last. It wasn’t long before they started up again.” Rangi wasn’t at all surprised by what Wong said. Any bandits that stumbled onto the destroyed campsite would be spooked by the sight of the destruction there. Not to mention seeing the bodies of their fellow outlaws ripped limb from limb. However, as she turned to Kirima, she was surprised to see that she too looked deadly serious. It looked odd to Rangi because she had assumed that the smirk that she normally wore was permanently fixed to Kirima’s face. She almost looked a bit unsure about what she was going to say.</p><p>“That’s not all, the attacks themselves have changed as well.” The vagueness of her statement scared Rangi. Not only that, but the way in which she had said it had her thinking that they hadn’t changed in a good way.</p><p>“How so?” she asked, dreading the answer but also knowing that she needed to hear it. Kirima paused as her expression turned into one of deep thought, clearly trying to find the right words. Eventually she shook her head in frustration. Rangi guessed she couldn’t find the words she was looking for.</p><p>“It’s hard to describe, it’s like the calibre of them has changed somehow.” she replied with a shrug, but now Rangi was even more confused. Fortunately, Wong decided to step in and clarify things for her.</p><p>“They are better organised and equipped, not by much but definitely noticeable. It appears that they have stepped up their game since that appalling ambush we dealt with before.” Out of the corner of her eye, Rangi saw Kirima nod her head. Clearly Wong had managed to say out loud what she had been trying to express. Rangi remembered the ambush that Wong spoke of. It was so obvious that even a child could have spotted it a mile away. She doubted it would be hard to improve on something so abysmal, but it was still an alarming development. It was at this point that Lek decided to add his own unhelpful thoughts on the matter.</p><p>“It’s nothing we can’t handle!” he stated as he proudly puffed out his chest, proving to a very unimpressed Rangi just how seriously he was taking the whole situation. Her sentiment was clearly shared with Kirima as she crossed her arms wearing a similar look on her face.</p><p>“Says the guy that got himself injured.” she said to him with a raised eyebrow as she pointed down at his left hand. Rangi looked at it too and noticed that there was indeed a bandage around his left palm that was absent on his right. She hadn’t spotted it before as most of Lek’s aesthetic seemed to consist of wearing cotton wraps. Yet as she studied it further, she saw the telltale dots of red on the cloth that hinted at the injury underneath. Realising he had been caught out, Lek quickly pulled his hand away in an effort to hide it.</p><p>“It was a lucky hit!” he snapped at Kirima, his face flushed red with embarrassment. Rangi was starting to notice that the young archer had a habit of putting his foot in his mouth. Whether or not it was a “lucky hit” as Lek claimed, it was still concerning. If something wasn’t done about these attacks and soon, then the next time could be much worse. Not just for her and the Flying Opera Company, but also for Kyoshi. That was something she wasn’t going to let happen! It was time to take the fight to the outlaws!</p><p>She took a moment to think less like a soldier and more like a strategist. The bandits couldn’t be camping in the forest. If the small act of cutting down some trees without leaving an offering or killing a Sika deer was enough to drive a spirit into a murderous rage, she doubted there would be any bandits left to bother them. The other option was the nearest town that could accommodate such a large horde and that was Qinchao. However not long after arriving at Yokoya, Rangi had soon learned from the townspeople that they thought very poorly of the civilians there. Most described them as very arrogant or snobbish and those were the nicer comments! She highly doubted the prim and proper folks of Qinchao would tolerate having such ruffians stay there for long. That left the rocky hills that bordered the road as the only plausible option. Such rugged terrain was very hard to traverse and often littered with hidden trails. If the bandits had knowledge of such a route, it would grant them easy access to the road from which to launch their attacks. Rangi just needed a way to locate the pathway. As she thought over her problem, a brilliant idea popped into her head. She turned to her comrades with fire in her eyes as her plan began to take shape.</p><p>“Have you got a map of the road out of Yokoya?” Rangi asked, watching with amusement as looks of confusion grew on Lek’s, Wong’s and Kirima’s faces. Eventually, after seemingly processing her odd request, it was Wong who answered first.</p><p>“Yeah, we have one inside.” he replied as he walked off towards the living quarters, beckoning Rangi to follow. She strode after him with Lek and Kirima bringing up the rear. He stepped casually inside whilst Rangi hesitated upon the threshold. Peering within, she felt her skin crawl on seeing the same mess she remembered from before. Taking in a deep breath of fresh air, she headed through the open doorway, doing her best to ignore the sheer amount of mess on the floor. Never had she wished more that she was back at Kyoshi’s house, where everything was neat and tidy. Wong returned to her, having just finished rummaging through a pile of stuff in the corner of the room, carrying what looked to be a large scroll under his arm. Rangi guessed that it was the map she needed, which was confirmed when he unrolled it. She was surprised by just how detailed the drawing was, showing each twist and turn in the road from Yokoya and Qinchao. It was exactly what she was looking for!</p><p>“Can you mark where each attack took place?” she asked and for a moment Wong appeared perplexed by her request until a look of realisation suddenly crossed his face. It would seem that he had caught on to her plan. He walked over to and cleared a nearby table, pushing all the empty bottles to one side. He laid the map out flat and grabbed an ink brush. Slowly but surely, Wong began to draw little crosses along the length of the road. It wasn’t long before Kirima and Lek joined in, leaning over his shoulder to voice their opinions about where they thought the marks should be or adding in ones that he had missed. When they were finally finished it was just as Rangi suspected, all the crosses were along a single stretch of the road. Unfortunately it was a rather long section, but it did narrow the search down by quite a bit. “There must be a mountain path or hidden trail somewhere near here that they’re using to access the road from their camp. If we can find it, we may be able to use it to trace it back to the source of our bandit problem.” Rangi stated as she pointed at the cluster of crosses on the map to highlight what she was talking about. All three of her comrades’ eyes lit up on hearing her cunning plan. Strangely the most excited of them all was Lek.</p><p>“Leave that to me! They don’t call me Lek of the Swift Wind for nothing!” he called out confidently, pointing proudly at his chest with his thumb. Rangi, on the other hand, was pretty sure no one called him that. Needing confirmation of this she turned to Kirima and Wong, who to her amazement merely nodded their heads with a shrug.</p><p>“To be honest, he is a pretty good scout.” Wong admitted which caused a look of shock to cross Lek’s face, seemingly insulted by Rangi’s lack of faith in him.</p><p>“Why do you look so surprised?” he asked with a huff, but as much as she wanted to tease him further, something else was bothering her.</p><p>“Were there any more Ba Sing Se coins found on any of the bandits?” Rangi inquired. Her heart sank when Wong once again nodded his head.</p><p>“Yes, each and every one of them that we managed to capture or kill had their pockets stuffed full of the things.” he replied as Rangi tried her best not to let the whirlwind of emotions in her head show on her face. Whoever this new band of outlaws were, they had come from the same place as the previous lot. If so, this meant that there was every chance they could also be after Kyoshi. She hoped that Lek was as good as he claimed to be. The sooner they tracked down their camp, the sooner Kyoshi would be safe from harm.</p><p>“I see,” was all she managed to say, her mind filled with too many thoughts to think of anything else. However she was soon pulled from her thoughts when Kirima, for some unexplained reason, walked over to the open door. Rangi’s confusion only grew when she stuck her head out of the entrance and looked around for a moment. It almost appeared as if she was checking that no one was around and upon finding the coast clear, pulled the door shut then locked it. Just as Rangi was about to ask what Kirima was doing, she walked over to her and put her arm over her shoulder. A gesture that added to Rangi’s uncertainty but also her discomfort.</p><p>“I’m guessing you met our tall and mysterious forest dweller!” she said with a low voice and knowing smile. Rangi felt a cold jolt of fear run through her whole body. She quickly stepped away from Kirima, her face betraying her shock before her brain had time to tell it not to give the game away. She did her best to recover and appear unaffected by what Kirima had just said, but it only took one look at her to know it was already too late. But she still had to try in order to protect the big oaf. Rangi didn’t want to hurt Kirima or the other two, but when it came to Kyoshi’s safety, she wouldn’t hesitate!</p><p>“I have no idea what you are talking about.” she replied, trying her best to sound suitably baffled. In response, Kirima just threw her head back and laughed. In doing so, Rangi’s expression of confusion became genuine. It was only after Kirima managed to stop her laughter that she gave Rangi a sly wink.</p><p>“Chill out topknot, we all know about Kyoshi.” It wasn’t until Kirima told her to relax that Rangi realised just how tense her body was, yet she was unable to do so. Her fury was once again threatening to boil over. It would seem that her mother trusted the three mercenaries more than her own daughter. It was an insult to her honour and one that she would not stand for. It felt like when it came to her and Hei-Ran it was always two step forward, one steps back! They had just started to mend their relationship, only for her to now be stabbed again with the knife of betrayal. Yet her building anger was momentarily halted by the sound of Kirima chuckling once again, only to be reignited when she flashed Rangi an amused smile. “I know what you are thinking, topknot, and she didn’t really have a choice in the matter. We learned of suspicious activity in the forest and when we reported it, Hei-Ran had to tell us. After all, she didn’t want us charging in there and accidentally killing her ourselves.” Kirima’s words were like a watery downpour on the flames of Rangi’s rage, leaving only shame-filled ashes in its wake. Once again she had doubted her mother’s honour, only to find it as strong as ever. If there was anyone here who had no honour, it was herself.</p><p>Before she could comprehend the depths of her disgrace further, another more pressing matter took its place. If the Flying Opera Company knew about Kyoshi, could they be trusted to keep her safe? Although they were her comrades-in-arms, they were also mercenaries. A group of people well known to sell their skills and secrets to those willing to pay for them. Not only that, but all the evidence pointed to the fact that someone out there was clearly willing to do just that.</p><p>“You are not going to reveal her whereabouts, are you?” Rangi asked, her hand drifting slowly down to rest on the hilt of her katana. In her head, she was silently praying that she wouldn’t have to use it. A tense silence hung in the air between all of them, each side clearly knowing what the other was thinking and yet neither saying a word. The tension was only broken when Wong simply smiled and shrugged his shoulders.</p><p>“Hei-Ran is paying us good coin to keep our mouths shut.” he replied so casually it was almost as if he were merely discussing what to have for lunch rather than a matter of such great importance. Rangi wasn’t sure if that made her feel better or worse. However, as she looked at the three of them stood before her, something in Rangi’s heart told her that she could trust them. She could no more explain the feeling than she could explain which way the flames of a fire would dance or how a river chooses its course to the sea. Yet despite every logical part of her telling her not to, she instead chose to believe in her gut and in them. In all honesty, it wasn’t like she had much choice in the matter anyway. But no sooner had she come to that conclusion, a sly grin grew upon Kirima’s lips that immediately put her on edge.</p><p>“Why you asking, topknot? You thinking of selling her out for some daofei gold?” she asked with a raised eyebrow, only for Rangi’s expression to instantly become one of shock and horror.</p><p>“I would never!” she all but yelled back at the water tribeswoman, her voice louder and higher pitched than it had any right to be. Kirima’s expression also changed into one of pure delight. She looked like a very smug she-wolf overjoyed to have cornered a rabbit in her trap. Rangi felt her cheeks turn bright red at having been caught out so easily. She quickly folded her arms and tried to put a hard look on her face, a poor attempt to save what was left of her dignity. “It would be dishonourable,” she stated, trying desperately to sound official. Yet one look at Kirima and she knew the game was already lost. The water tribeswoman was a cruel and efficient huntress when it came to getting under Rangi’s skin. </p><p>“I’m sure that’s the only reason.” she said in a mocking tone that Rangi did her best to try to ignore. Of course it wasn’t the only reason, but she wasn’t about to say that out loud. Looking to the side she saw that Wong also had a similar expression to Kirima, only he was being slightly more subtle about the whole thing. The only one who seemed completely unaware of what was going on was Lek. Instead, he was looking rather pleased with himself.</p><p>“It’s like we are all part of a secret Kyoshi society!” he announced, sounding very chuffed that he had figured that out all on his own. Rangi was pretty sure the only reason he had was because no one else wanted to say something so stupid. She glared at him with narrowed eyes and was wholly unsurprised when Wong along with Kirima joined in. Clearly all three of them hated his suggestion and currently hated Lek for saying it. For his part, Lek visibly shrank under their collective scowls, feeling the full force of their loathing. He quickly tried to change the topic, a classic tactic of the embarrassed. “Anyway, enough about Kyoshi! A more interesting topic is whether or not that bear has given Rangi a really cool-looking scar?” he asked and although Rangi was tired of talking about this darn make-believe bear, it did give her an idea on how to get her own back on him.</p><p>“It did, three big ones right here on my side.” Rangi said proudly as she pointed to the left part of her midriff where her scars lay hidden beneath. Lek’s level of excitement only grew at hearing this, which meant that her revenge would be all the sweeter.</p><p>“Wow, can I see them?” Rangi could only smile at poor, innocent and so very predictable Lek’s question. She was starting to see why Kirima enjoyed teasing people so much, it was quite a thrill.</p><p>“Of course, next time you see me without my armour on, I’ll show them to you.” Rangi replied with a nonchalant shrug of her shoulders. Out the corner of her eye she could see Kirima biting her lip and Wong holding his clenched fist against his mouth. They had both clearly figured out what she was doing and were trying desperately to stifle their laughter.</p><p>“But we never see you out of your armour.” he said and with that all semblance of composure was broken. Wong and Kirima burst into laughter and even Rangi could not stop herself from chuckling. Lek stood there in total bewilderment, not understanding the joke that he seemed to have missed. However, it only took him a few moments before he let out an annoyed groan, clearly finally realising he had been played. With Rangi never without her armour, he would never get a chance to see her scars and it was hilarious that it had taken him this long to figure that out. “Oh, come on!” he yelled as he threw his arms up into the air. Unfortunately his irritation only added fuel to the fire of his companions’ amusement.</p><p>As Rangi watched Lek try desperately to get the other two to stop laughing at him, which only caused them to tease him further, she could not help but smile. Despite their rocky introduction, somehow she had come to care for this odd band of misfits. They were a team now, brothers and sisters in arms. Together they would find the bandits hidden within the mountain and put a stop to their plans. </p><p>For the sake of Rangi’s pride as a warrior, they would not fail. But more importantly, for the sake of Kyoshi’s safety, they could not fail.</p><p>~~~~</p><p>Rangi stepped through the doorway into her room. The joy of reuniting with the Flying Opera Company faded and in its place was unwavering resolve. The thought that was currently plaguing her mind had been there since she had learned the truth from Kyoshi. It had only grown since speaking to Hei-Ran and later with her comrades. As much as Rangi hated what she was about to do, it needed to be done.</p><p>Walking over to her pack, she rummaged through it until she found what she was looking for, pulling out her sheathed tantō short sword. Every member of the Fire Nation army was issued one, but she had always declined to wear hers. Short swords were the weapons of spies and assassins, both professions Rangi refused to be associated with. But today, it would serve an even more brutal purpose. The weapon felt light in her hand, but under the weight of what she was about to use it for, it had never felt heavier. Yet she would not falter, not when it came to matters of honour. She took a deep breath in and then out to steady herself for what was to come. </p><p>Gripping the handle of the blade tightly, she left the room to go find her mother.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Sorry for the wait guys! Work is a little crazy atm which is the reason for the delay!  ^^;</p><p>I am debating whether to set up a tumblr so that if people want to contact me and ask me stuff outside of AO3 but I didn't know if that is really vain or not! Would that be something people be interested in? Let me know in the comments and please understand that it's alright to say no! I will not be offended if people think that it's really stupid and arrogant especially as my fic isn't the best! ^^;</p><p>Stay safe and don't forget to drink plenty of water! &lt;3</p>
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